4.3 Posture

In the past, posture analysis and corrective exercises were highly emphasized. However, posture seems to have lost some of its importance recently. Good posture signifies that your muscles are balanced and your body is symmetrical. Deviations in posture typically arise from specific muscle weaknesses, which prevent the body from maintaining the desired position. For example, weak erector spinae muscles in the lower back can lead to poor trunk posture during standing, walking, or weightlifting.

Many people are unaware of their poor posture and often show little concern about it. However, posture should be one of the high priorities for athletes and fitness enthusiasts, as it can greatly impact performance and well-being.

Proper posture indicates a harmonious balance of muscles and a symmetrical bodily alignment.

Many people are unaware of their poor posture and often show little concern about it. However, posture should be one of the high priorities for athletes and fitness enthusiasts, as it can greatly impact performance and well-being.

Let’s examine some of the key benefits of good posture:

  1. Health: Good posture is essential for overall health, as it keeps your organs in place and allows them to function efficiently. For instance, swayback can cause your intestines to press against the abdominal cavity floor, interfering with their normal function. Rounded shoulders and an excessively rounded upper back can constrict the chest, making it difficult to fill your lungs with air – a crucial aspect of athletic performance and fitness activities.
  2. Movement and Skill Execution: Posture affects how you walk, run, jump, lift weights, and perform other activities. Rounded shoulders, for example, may cause your arms to be slightly in front of your body, changing the muscular movement and movement pathway during arm lifts.
  3. Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation: Posture plays a critical role in preventing and rehabilitating back issues. Strengthening and stretching the necessary muscles to achieve good posture helps prevent injuries and aids in rehabilitation. Correcting posture is often all that is needed to relieve back pain.
  4. Enhanced Well-being: Good posture contributes to a general sense of well-being, as it promotes ease of movement, proper muscle balance, correct spinal positioning, and optimal internal organ function. Good posture makes you feel more energized, ready to perform, and proud of yourself.

Good posture is relatively easy to achieve and maintain. Part of the process involves learning new sitting, standing, and walking habits. The primary factor is strengthening the key muscles responsible for maintaining proper posture.

Check yourself

To find out if you have good posture, stand with your back against a wall. Your heels, calves, buttocks, upper back, and head should touch the wall comfortably. You may have some deviations if you need to strain to make contact. Another effective method is to hang a weight from a string attached to the ceiling. Stand so the string lines up with your nose and take a front-view picture (or look in the mirror). Check if your shoulders lean to one side or if more of your body is on one side of the line. With good posture, you should be symmetrical on both sides of the string. Lining up the string in the middle of your shoulder down to the floor is also helpful. It shows how your weight is distributed and reveals any major deviations in spinal curvature or hip positioning.

Common Postural Deviations

The strength and flexibility of spinal muscles influence the alignment of the trunk and pelvis. Imbalances can cause three abnormal conditions: lordosis, scoliosis, and kyphosis.

In lordosis, the top of the pelvis moves forward and downward from its normal position, known as anterior pelvic tilt. Usually, hip-joint flexor muscles are shortened, and abdominal muscles are lengthened or relaxed.

In posterior pelvic tilt, hip flexor, and low back muscles stretch while abdominal and hamstring muscles shorten. Posterior tilt is less common than anterior tilt and rarely results from a lack of muscular strength. However, both anterior and posterior pelvic tilt can put lumbar vertebrae in potentially dangerous positions due to increased disc pressure and changes in the trunk’s line of gravity.

In scoliosis, the spinal column has excessive lateral curvature. If the curvature is minor, you can do exercises to stretch the concave (curves inward) side and strengthen the convex (curves outward) side, usually straightening the spine. In addition, the affected abdominal oblique or erector spine muscles must be strengthened if the vertebral column also rotates.

Kyphosis is an exaggerated front-to-back curvature of the spinal column. It often occurs as excessive forward bending of the thoracic area and is common in older adults. It is typically associated with osteoporosis and osteoarthritis and can result in a hunchback position. It also appears more frequently in younger adults due to poor posture and excessive crunches through a shortened range of motion. The term “flat-back” is often used in conjunction with a kyphotic condition, as the exaggerated thoracic spine curvature reduces the natural lumbar curvature, causing a posterior tilt in the pelvis. Flat back posture affects up to 70% of people and is today’s most common posture (Mobilephysiotherapyclinica, 2023).

Sway back posture shows an increase in the posterior tilt of the pelvis and the trunk and thoracic kyphosis compared to neutral posture. This postural change is associated with increased activity of the rectus abdominis muscle, decreased abdominal and internal oblique muscle activity, and decreased activity of the iliopsoas and gluteus maximus muscles in the hip joint. Sway-back posture reduces the contraction of the skeletal muscles, thereby applying stress to the skeletal system, which is a factor unrelated to contraction, and leads to the increased stress applied to the lumbar area (Physiopedia, 2023).

Rounded shoulders may be associated with thoracic vertebrae kyphosis but are not the same condition. Rounded shoulders are technically scapula abduction or protraction, creating a “hollow” chest condition. You can have abducted scapula without having a kyphotic condition, or you can have both conditions.

Poor posture can be bad for one’s health. The main implications of postural deviations for health are musculoskeletal in nature. Lower back pain, neck pain and headaches are common. In terms of performance, restricted ranges of motion at the shoulders, hips or both regions increase the risk of injury and reduce movement efficiency. In severe cases, hyperkyphotic posture can reduce the thoracic cavity’s size, effectively reducing lung volume (Pimenta et al., 2016).

Other side effects of poor posture are also (Physiopedia, 2023)

  • Increased pressure on the spine, making it more prone to injury and degeneration
  • Decrease flexibility
  • Affect how well joints move
  • Affect balance and increase the risk of falling
  • Make it harder to digest food
  • Induce breathing disorders and affect surrounding structures, including the heart and phrenic nerve
  • In women, it can lead to an imbalance in the core muscle leading to incontinence and/or pelvic organ prolapse.

Understanding the impact of sitting on vertebral disks

Many people experience back pain while standing for long periods and feel relief when they sit down. However, it’s essential to understand that sitting can actually put significant pressure on the vertebral disks.

Let’s break down why this happens:

  1. First, we need to differentiate between back muscles and vertebral disks. While standing, disk pressure is relatively low, but pain may still be felt due to fatigued lower back muscles.
  2. Increased pressure on the disks doesn’t necessarily cause immediate pain, so we might be unaware of this pressure. Over time, however, it can lead to deformative changes in the disks.
  3. Sitting can create higher intradiscal pressure than standing because, while standing, your body weight is distributed over various structures, including muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints. The abdominal “corset” relaxes when sitting, causing most of your body weight to load the disks. This might not cause pain immediately, but in the long term, the constant increased load on the disks can result in various problems, such as impinged nerve roots or degenerative osteoarthritic changes.

Workplace Ergonomics

Since sitting is unavoidable for many, the best advice is to:

1) limit time spent sitting as much as possible, and

2) design your workplace with the following recommendations:

  • Chairs with lumbar supports that maintain the spine’s natural curve have been shown to lower intradiscal pressures compared to chairs without these supports.
  • Chairs with armrests also reduce pressure on the disks.
  • Sitting in a reclined position (120 degrees is optimal) lowers disk pressure, so choose a chair that allows you to change positions.
  • To avoid “slumping,” select a chair wide enough to keep your knees apart and a desk that offers enough space to open your knees.
  • Adjustability is crucial when selecting a chair, as individuals have unique ergonomic needs based on their body shapes and sizes.
  • Ensure that your chair and desk arrangement allows your forearms to rest on the desk with your elbows at a 90-degree angle close to your sides, reducing stress on the trapezius and surrounding upper back and neck muscles.

Remember, spinal disorders are preventable! The dangers of sitting for prolonged periods might not seem urgent now, but over time, it can have a cumulative effect on your spine.

Negative effects of mobile phones on posture

The widespread use of mobile phones, particularly among younger generations, has raised concerns regarding their impact on posture. Prolonged use of these devices can lead to poor posture and musculoskeletal disorders, as users assume unnatural positions while engaging with their screens.

Recent research has identified a condition known as “text neck,” which occurs when individuals crane their necks forward and downward while using their mobile devices. This posture places an increased load on the cervical spine, leading to muscle strain, tension headaches, and spinal misalignments. Additionally, hunching over a mobile phone can contribute to rounded shoulders and a forward head posture, further exacerbating these issues.

Younger generations are particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of mobile phone use on posture, as their musculoskeletal systems are still developing. Moreover, they tend to spend more time on their devices than older individuals, increasing their risk of developing postural problems.

To address the issue of mobile phone-induced postural problems, consider the following recommendations:

  1. Limit Screen Time: Encourage younger individuals to limit their time spent on mobile devices and engage in other activities that promote movement and proper posture.
  2. Maintain a Neutral Posture: When using mobile devices, it is essential to maintain a neutral posture. Hold the phone at eye level to prevent neck strain and sit with a supported back to maintain proper spinal alignment.
  3. Stretch and Strengthen: Incorporate neck and upper back stretches and strengthening exercises into daily routines to counteract the negative effects of mobile phone use on posture.
  4. Take Breaks: Encourage frequent breaks from mobile devices to reduce the risk of developing postural problems.
  5. Educate: Educate younger generations on the importance of proper posture and the potential consequences of mobile phone overuse.

By raising awareness about the negative effects of mobile phone use on posture and implementing the above strategies, we can help younger generations develop and maintain healthy postural habits.

General Strategies for Improving Posture

Here are some practical tips for correcting postural imbalances and maintaining good posture:

  1. Awareness: Becoming conscious of your posture throughout the day is the first step in making improvements. Regularly check and correct your posture, especially when sitting for long periods.
  2. Ergonomics: Set up your workspace to promote proper posture. Adjust your chair, desk, and computer monitor to support a neutral spine position and minimize strain on your neck, shoulders, and back.
  3. Strengthening exercises: Incorporate exercises targeting weak muscles, such as the deep neck flexors, mid-back muscles, and core muscles, to provide better support for your spine.
  4. Stretching: Regularly stretch tight muscles, such as the chest, hip flexors, and hamstrings, to improve flexibility and alignment.
  5. Movement: Get up and move throughout the day to prevent muscle stiffness and promote circulation.

A Note on Back Health

Stuart McGill’s “Back Mechanic” emphasizes the importance of maintaining a healthy spine and highlights the role of posture in preventing and managing back pain.

To protect your back, McGill recommends:

  1. Avoiding sustained static postures: Change positions frequently to prevent excessive stress on the spine.
  2. Practicing “spine-sparing” movements: Learn to bend, lift, and carry objects using proper body mechanics to minimize spinal strain.
  3. Building a resilient core: Strengthen your core muscles to provide optimal support for your spine and improve posture.

As you can see, good posture is essential for overall health and well-being. By becoming aware of your posture, making ergonomic adjustments, incorporating targeted exercises, and adopting spine-friendly habits, you can significantly improve your alignment, reduce the risk of pain and injuries, and enhance your physical performance.

Remember that maintaining good posture is an ongoing process that requires consistent effort and attention.

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