Guest blog post by Mohammed Kraish.
Everyone remembers growing up hearing their mother say, “sit up straight”. Beyond ascetics, sitting up straight is important as it relieves stress off the joints of the body. Posture is so important that it is one of the first things I look at when evaluating a patient, no matter what the diagnosis.
Posture is defined as the body’s equilibrium. In other words, it is the balance between the front and back muscles of the body. Generally, we all start out with good posture but the habits we develop as we grow can result in “bad” posture. If you think about it, we live in a very front dominated world. Everything we do is in front of us, from lifting a can off the shelf to typing on a computer. When was the last time you had to use the muscles of the back to complete a daily task? Most likely it was to push open a door.
What causes bad posture?
Bad posture can be caused by a combination of muscles that are tight and ones that are weak. The majority of the time the muscles that are tight are found on the front of the body and the weak muscles are on the back. Over use of the front muscles causes tightness and under use of the back muscles causes weakness. This combination, called upper cross and lower cross syndrome, is extremely common.
Another more biological reason for bad posture is due to energy expenditure. Maintaining good posture requires us to burn an extra 300-400 calories. Many people see this as a good thing, but the problem is our bodies our designed to conserve energy. When we are tired, our posture is one of the first things to be compromised.
How can I improve my posture?
One simple way to make you more aware of your posture is to stand in front of a mirror (squeeze your shoulder blades together and lift your chest up) and feel what good posture feels like. Throughout the day pretend that there is a mirror in front of you and try to achieve the same feeling. Add in a combination of exercises that stretch the muscles that are tight and strengthen the muscles that are weak based on a program from your physical therapist. You’ll be amazed at how much straighter you’ll be sitting and how much better you’ll feel.