Is Your Posture and Movement Important?

Most definitely! Physical therapist Shirley Sahrmann wrote a book a few years back on pain and movement dysfunctions. One of her main themes was to look at someone's posture and regular movements - or lack of them - when trying to determine the cause of their pain.

I had come up with the idea of Posture-N-Motion as a title for this blog before I found out about her book, and have since renamed it Posture and Movement. Your posture is very important to your health, yet rarely discussed. Doctors do screenings for cancer (and rightly so) but why is it that no one screens for posture problems.

Many injuries and physical problems occur needlessly because of poor posture, and in some cases, a lack of adequate movement. Many people with neck and shoulder pain have poor posture. Their head is positioned too far forward, placing unnecessary strain on the joints.

Muscles end up being constantly stretched, which contributes to them being sore and tired from working when they shouldn't be. When you have good posture, your body is properly aligned with gravity. Poor posture has your body working against gravity and working inefficiently.

When you are out of alignment with gravity you cause greater wear and tear on your joints. They will likely wear out faster just like your car's tires will wear out faster when not in alignment. But its a whole lot easier and cheaper to get your tires replaced. Your joints on the other hand - plenty of pain and suffering occur when they are surgically replaced.

But can't I just stand up straight you ask? Its not that simple. Some people haven't stood up straight for so long that they don't know what straight is. They literally need to be retaught with specific movements, like joint mobility training. This is likely the case if you have had past injuries or haven't exercised in a long time.

Posture isn't just about standing up straight, anyway. Its about moving more efficiently while your joints are properly aligned. It takes specific training for many people. It also takes conscious awareness of how you are standing. Most people are just not aware of their posture and what it feels like to "stand tall."

Basically, you should have a balanced body. The muscles on the front of your body should be in balance with those in back, as well as having the left and right sides of your body in balance. Part of the muscle imbalances that are so common in those dealing with pain is due to sitting too much.

Many of us spend too much time seated in front of the computer, TV, or driving to and from work. Its nearly impossible to sit upright this entire time and our shoulders and back tend to round forward. Over time, our bodies adapt to this position unless we do something to "balance" ourselves.

Most of you need greater mobility in your hips and thoracic spine, and need to strengthen your glutes, midsection, and upper back. You also need to get enough movement so that your muscles and joints don't stiffen up. This will help ensure that your body stays in balance and works as efficiently as possible.

The more efficient your movements are, the less stress on your joints. Sounds pretty simple, doesn't it. Now if we could get more health and fitness professionals to recognize this and do posture screenings aimed at prevention, we'd be in business. Or maybe some of them make too much money dealing with the effects of poor posture, to really care.

Most of you should be able to stand tall your entire life - with the proper training. Some people will have severe injuries or disease that may make this impossible, but most of you can have proper alignment with a little work.

How posture affects your health