Posture: A Journey or an End Product?
Aug 01, 2016
I have realized that posture is not an open and shut case; not something that I can define within a single document and show the world the “end product.” Human bodies are constantly changing, are widely varied in size and shapes, and are not pieces of Lego blocks that can be arranged perfectly to create an ideal posture. Posture is also, I believe, intricately linked to the mind and spirit of the individual.
In the end, striving for perfect posture is kind of like pursuing a perfect icing, but forgetting about the cake. Posture is indicative of the overall health of the individual, while at the same time, health is altered when posture is altered. There are many things that we can do to be healthy, but I want to focus on posture - as a gateway to a healthier individual and a more effective athlete.
As a martial arts student and practitioner, the ideas presented in the following paper are representative of my own discovery, made possible through the teachings of my instructors, the development of my own practice, and the research of postural concepts in literature. With that in mind, it is important to realize the development of posture is a personal journey and that the search for truths in posture should be done with enthusiasm and inquisitiveness. What I have written is my own discovery and it is my hope that it can be of help to others.
What is Posture?
Posture is the position in which we hold our bodies while standing, sitting, or lying down. Good (or, more appropriately, “healthy”) posture is the alignment of body parts supported by the most efficient amount of muscle activation in order to support our bodies against gravity. Healthy posture keeps muscles, ligaments, bones and internal organs in their natural position and allows for increased efficiency of these structures. For example, with healthy posture your lungs will be able to fully expand during inhalation as the ribcage is open and supported rather than collapsed and restricted by rounded shoulders and excessive curvature in the spine.
Poor or unhealthy posture is the misalignment of the supportive structures of our bodies. When posture is poor or misaligned, there are areas of the spine that will have an increased load. This can lead to tension, soreness, headaches, back pain and fatigue. Postural imbalance also compresses your internal organs, reducing their efficiency and normal function. Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms of poor posture. It takes a lot of energy to hold the body in an awkward position, and, in turn, alters our breathing capacity which can be diminished. Prolonged poor posture will cause the body to alter its’ shape in order to achieve functionality in life tasks and activities. For instance, if you have an excessive head forward posture, your neck will curve strongly in order to keep your eyes looking straight ahead (this is known as the righting reflex). The body is very good at adapting to unnatural stresses placed upon it, but one may experience pain as a result of the body ‘remodeling’ itself to accommodate poor posture.
What causes bad posture? Our bodies are designed for motion. As soon as we limit movement by sitting for hours a day, our alignment may deteriorate.
We possess hunter/gatherer bodies but are living in a chair and desk world. Consequently, our bodies will adapt to the new environment in which we find ourselves. Picture how vastly different our world is from our ancestors: from running, stalking, building, and gathering, to sitting, sitting, and sitting. There is no denying we are not as active as our ancestors. Good thing the body is able to keep us going despite the new stresses it encounters: looking down at phones, sitting for long periods of time, and not exercising (less than half of American adults over the age of 18 were meeting physical activity guidelines in 2014[1]). Many people likely aren’t aware that they are encountering postural problems because there isn’t any pain associated with how they carry themselves.
Unhealthy posture can be from “structural” or “functional” problems. A structural problem is an issue with a part of our physical body that we cannot correct. A spinal deformity that occurs at birth is a structural problem. Most of us are challenged by functional postural problems, which include weak and overstretched muscles being challenged by tight and overused muscles, habitual postures (from work or any repetitive activity), compensatory postures (an unnatural posture resulting from favoring a painful body part) or numerous other correctable problems.
With that being said, I believe that the idea that posture is ‘good’ or ‘bad’ is false and over simplified. Wolff’s Law states that a bone will remodel itself according to the load placed upon it. For example, a tennis player will have more developed bones in his racquet arm than his non-racquet arm. A person with head forward posture will likely have a more developed cervical spine as there is increased load on those joints that are in an abnormal position. Combine this law with the fact that the body is incredibly adaptable and will arrange itself in the most effective way despite being placed in awkward positions, sometimes long-term. In other words, if one were to possess a poor posture, the body would be able to compensate with altered muscle tone to allow us to function in our environment. Is there such a thing as ‘perfect’ posture? Perhaps in a static way, yes. We could align all our bones and muscles in a way that you could draw a line down the anatomical plumb line and called that ‘perfect.’ But that doesn’t apply to moving creatures, especially when generating force or receiving force like we do in the sports and even everyday activities. Every person is different and most of us are challenged with injuries, asymmetries and other physical afflictions. If someone has had a car accident and it affects their ability to stand up straight we can’t fault them with ‘bad’ posture, and they may be a very effective athlete despite postural struggles. I would propose that, if we have to define different types of posture, that we call it aware and less aware.
An aware posture is one where the individual strives for a body position that best suits their activities while recruiting the least amount of energy. A key component of an aware posture is the desire of the individual to make this awareness have as little gaps in their life as possible. Being keenly aware of your posture during your training and then slouching during the drive home is not a way to develop aware posture.
There is more to the idea of posture than purely anatomical concepts. Humans are more complex than a series of muscles and bones responding to physical stressors.
Why might a person adopt an unhealthy/less aware posture?
One of the primary ways we adopt an unhealthy posture is a result of injury. Our bodies want to protect injured areas, and in doing so, create abnormal positions. Another profound reason to adopt a less aware posture is due to our occupations. If you are forced to sit for hours behind a desk, it’s easy to get caught in the duties of work and neglect the position your body is in.
If you are living with feelings of doubt, shame or fear, your body will reflect it. Fear initiates a protective response in our bodies - which is a collapse inwards, trying to protect vital organs, becoming closer to fetal position. This can appear subtly or strongly.
Why might a person adopt a healthy/aware posture?
If we are living confidently and with awareness, our bodies will reflect that. Imagine you won a major sporting tournament and are walking off the field/court - what would your posture look like? If you were you about to walk into an important interview, what would you want your posture to look like? Now think about your mindset in that scenario - confidence and awareness. You want to appear confident to a potential employer, and your focus is on the present moment, the best impression of yourself that you want to convey, right now. The body will manifest this in your body and how you align yourself.
There’s a way to carry this type of confidence with you during your day-to-day life. It isn’t false bravado, it isn’t pretending to be confident, it’s deciding to be present and aware. This type of openness makes us very capable in making responsible, healthy choices in our lives. Personally, I want my training and my own personal life to become closer to the same thing; as interchangeable. If we can decide to make posture a healthy choice while training or performing our rehabilitation after an injury, then we can make that same decision with our life in general.
Posture - How can Massage Therapists and Physiotherapists Help?
You might think that this all seems a bit daunting. Don’t worry, there are people there to help you.
Physiotherapists are “movement experts” and have a lot of tools to get you on a path to your healthiest posture. Starting with a thorough assessment of how you stand, walk and move, physios can establish certain muscle imbalances, tightness and/or laxity, and other structural components that require attention. From there, they can create a treatment plan that will include strengthening, stretching, manual therapies and other modalities that will bring you closer to your postural goals.
My role as a massage therapist is to complement the work the physios are doing. I get to work on the sore, over-engaged muscles and bring engagement to under-used muscles. Sometimes if you complain about a sore mid-back, the problem doesn’t lie in the back at all! The chest muscles can be over-active and pull the back muscles out of alignment. I can fix that.
The partnership of physio and massage therapist is very powerful! When we put you in the middle, we have a trifecta of postural healing!
Posture - At Home Training
There is no ‘quick fix’ for posture, but I can say that the easiest path towards healthier posture is to continue to bring more and more awareness to your practice and work towards making your movements as efficient as possible. Posture, like the practice, is a process (that’s a lot of P’s!) and it should be treated as such.
My method of training involves strengthening muscles that are opposite to those I tend to overuse in my job and sports. For instance, I work a lot in front of my body for my job as a massage therapist so I know that my chest muscles tend to overpower my upper back muscles. My job involves a lot of standing so I know that my spinal erector muscles (the long muscles on either side of the spine in charge of keeping the spine upright) are stronger than my abdominal muscles. As a supplement to my Karate and Yoga at-home practice I make sure to strengthen my scapular retractors as well as my abdominal group.
A great method for exposing possible postural imbalances is to practice in front of the mirror. Without looking, establish your ‘best’ posture. Now observe yourself in the mirror - from the front and the side. Is it what you expected?
Again, my reasoning for the strengthening exercises is to balance out the actions I do during my job as well as my hobbies. You will discover for yourself what works best for you to improve your postural awareness.
Summary
It is important to note that posture is always a work in progress. I have had a change in mindset since my initial ‘quest for the perfect posture’. Your body is a reflection of who you are, what you are doing with your life, your awareness, how you respond to your external environment and many other influences. The amazing part of pursuing healthy posture is that you are embracing your ability to become the healthiest version of yourself. You can start your journey towards an upright, confident individual right now, no matter where you are at this moment.
There is no end goal, there is only a pursuit of health.
Mark Ellis, RMT, CBP (Certified Bowen Practitioner)
Active Physio Works
www.activephysioworks.com
(780) 458-8505
REFERENCES
http://whatsyourposture.com.au/posture-health/ : website accessed November 16th, 2014
http://www.jandaapproach.com : website accessed November 16th, 2014
Clinical Massage Therapy, Rattray & Ludwig ISBN: 9780969817710
Natural Posture for Pain-Free Living: The Practice of Mindful Alignment, Porter ISBN: 978-1-62055099-1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolff%27s_law : website accessed December 14th, 2015
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Righting_reflex: website accessed December 16th, 2015
[1] http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/earlyrelease/earlyrelease201506_07.pdf
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