Posture: How Do You Stand?
Posture is body language. Correct posture makes you look younger, fitter, healthier and more confident. And it has an important effect on the health of your muscles, bones, joints and even your lungs and cardiovascular system.
You may have nagged your children to correct their posture. But how about your own? In the words of one physical therapist, “virtually everyone I see has poor posture, and it’s often at the root of the health problem that brings them to me.”
Try this: take off enough clothing to reveal your skeleton and ask a friend or family member to take two full-body photos of you, one from the front and one from the side. Or simply look at yourself in a full-length mirror. Relax and stand as you normally would.
What do you see? Your head should be directly over your body, not pushing out in front, as it probably is. Your chin should be parallel to the floor, your cheekbones and collar bone in a straight line.
How about your shoulders? Are they in line with your ears? Are they level? One should not be higher than the other.
Your back should not be stiff and straight; it has a natural S or double C curve. One curve is from the base of the head to your shoulders; the other, from the upper back to the base of your spine.
Your hips should be in a direct line with your ears and shoulders. That line should continue down to your knees and the protruding bones of your ankles.
How did you do? Don’t feel bad if you didn’t make it; you are not alone. But you can and should do something about it. You probably remember what you were told as a child:
• keep your back straight (but not stiff),
• shoulders squared,
• stomach in,
• chest up and
• head back.
Train Your Body
Train yourself so that you assume this posture naturally without thinking about it. It helps, of course, to keep your core body muscles and those across your upper back well toned, but exercise alone won’t assure you good posture, and some workouts may even lead you into bad postural habits. Too many chest flies with a high weight, for example, can tighten the muscles across the chest so much that you end up with hunched shoulders unless you do proper stretches.
One postural problem frequently mentioned by chiropractors is loss of the 40 to 45 degree natural curve of the neck known as the “arc of life.” This curve helps to protect the brain stem and the nerves of the spinal column. Loss of it causes alterations in the production of endorphins and other pain-killing neurochemicals, resulting in a lower pain threshold.
Another is forward head posture, an extremely common problem, occurring in 60 to 90 percent of the population. Sometimes referred to as “reader’s neck,” it is also caused by slumping in front of a TV or computer screen for several hours each day.
Either of these problems can cause neck and back pain, headaches and fatigue. If you have forward head posture, you’re placing an extra 30 pounds of abnormal leverage on the spine which can pull the entire column out of alignment.. In doing so, it can also reduce lung capacity by as much as 30 percent. And this, in turn, can affect the respiratory, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems.
Some chiropractors have corrective care procedures for managing these and other postural abnormalities, but the most obvious first step is paying closer attention to the way you stand, walk, sit and drive.
STANDING POSTURE: For good alignment and balance, stand up straight with your feet shoulder width apart. Avoid resting on your heels as this can cause you to slouch. Instead, try to focus on keeping weight on the balls of your feet.
Keep your shoulders squared, your head up and back. Imagine you’re reaching for the ceiling with the top of your head.
To test yourself and become accustomed to how proper posture feels, stand with your back to a wall or door. If you’re standing right, your butt, your shoulders and the back of your head should be lightly touching the surface.
WALKING POSTURE starts with good standing posture, but serious runners and walkers often fail to pay attention to posture as they push their heads forward in an effort to move faster. Keep your head up, shoulders back, chest out; and look straight ahead.
SITTING POSTURE: If you have a desk job, it’s probably worth the extra money to buy a chair that’s ergonomically designed. At least, get one that can be adjusted to your height so that both feet rest comfortably on the ground or a foot rest. Even more important, an ergonomic chair gives proper support for the lumbar spine.
Sit back in the chair; don’t lean forward and slouch over your keyboard, as you’ve undoubtedly been doing for years. The top third of your monitor should be at eye level, allowing you to keep your head up and back as it is when you are standing with good posture.
A head rest was put in your automobile for a purpose. How often do your drive with your head resting against it? Adjust the pad so that the middle of your head rests against it while your back keeps contact with the seat back.
Likewise, in front of the TV, avoid slouching down on your shoulders; keep your back firm against the chair or couch, your head up and back.
SLEEPING: One pillow is fine for maintaining proper alignment of your head, neck and shoulders; a second pillow or one that’s too fluffed up can lead to structural problems such as head forward posture.
If you’ve had back, neck, knee or pelvic injuries, talk to your doctor or physical therapist before doing any special exercises or maneuvers to change your spinal alignment. In an older person with loss of bone density, hunched shoulders and stooped shoulders represent progressive deterioration of the spine and cannot be corrected with better posture.
The vast majority of posture problems, however, lend themselves to self correction. All it takes is a little thought and effort.
REFERENCES:
“The Arc of Life,” Yachter Health Weekly Newsletter, December 22, 2008.
Dr. David Jockers, “Bad posture equals bad health,” Natural News, January 10, 2011.
Chiropractors’ Association of Australia, “Forward head posture,”
Glenn Kent, Ph.D., Certified Personal Trainer, “Exercises to improve your posture,” SparkPeople.com Fitness Articles, July 28, 2012.
03/04/2013
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