Posture. Other than childhood memories of being told by our parents to “stand up straight” we generally don’t think about it. But when we do, most of us realize that our posture could be better. Unfortunately, that’s probably true.
But not to worry. You can start working on better posture at any point in your life. Good posture promotes flexibility and stamina, makes breathing properly easier, and helps you look and feel more confident. But more importantly, good posture can help eliminate some of the stress and damage we do to our bodies, which can often manifest as pain.
What does poor posture do to our bodies? Ideally, no muscle group would be stronger than the muscle group that does the opposite action. (An example is the hamstrings that bend your knee one way, and the quads that straighten your knee the other way.) When your body is in a neutral position (think of lying on your back fully supported by the surface beneath you), every muscle would be at its intended length, making no impact on the joint to which it attaches. (In the example of hamstrings and quads, this joint would be your knee.)
The moment we begin to engage our bodies in any activity, including just sitting or standing, our bodies adjust the length of our muscles to accommodate our actions. It’s an amazing engineering feat. However, postural problems can develop when we need to “hold” our bodies in any position for long periods of time, like sitting in front of a computer, standing at a counter or nursing a baby. Little time passes before we start to collapse into a less-than-ideal position, which honestly, at least initially, feels more comfortable. We’re not really meant to hold ourselves in static positions.
In a situation like this, you might find yourself rounding your back and hunching your shoulders when sitting or putting all your weight on one leg while standing. If you were only doing this a couple of hours a day, it wouldn’t present much of a problem.
However, when you hold yourself in a compromised position like this every day for several hours, your body starts to make allowances for that less-than-ideal position. Specifically, it shortens and contracts some muscles, while lengthening and stretching others. The shortened muscles become tighter, pulling you even further into the undesired position, while the lengthened muscles become weaker, making it harder to correct yourself. Rounded, elevated shoulders are a good example of what can happen after long hours in front of a computer, leading to chronic neck and shoulder tension.
Being aware of your posture and the positions you tend to fall into is half the battle. There are so many common habits that can cause problems. Do you have to raise your arms to reach your keyboard? Do you have to lean your head forward so that you can see your monitor? Do you favor one side when carrying your bags? Or do you sleep on your stomach with your head turned to one side most of the night?
Once you recognize your tendencies, take a look at your environment and make it more ergonomic and supportive of good alignment. Small, manageable actions will make a difference. For example, place your keyboard on a pullout tray so that your arms can be by your sides and your elbows at a 90-degree angle when typing. Move your monitor closer to you so that you don’t have to extend your head to see what’s on the screen. And try to take short breaks to move around, roll your shoulders down your back, stretch a bit, and alternate your actions to alleviate repetitive motions. Any movements outside of your regular patterns are good. Don’t be hard on yourself if after a few minutes you find yourself right back in your same old position, just try again to correct it. Over time, the new muscle groups you’re engaging will activate more readily and you’ll be able to self-correct almost automatically.
If you find that your posture pattern is too ingrained and you need some help breaking it, massage can help lengthen the shortened muscles and take the tension out of the lengthened ones. Ask your massage therapist for suggestions on what you can do differently. Also consider postural re-education courses, such as Alexander Technique or Feldendkrais®, both offered at Element.
I also recommend Esther Gokhale’s “8 Steps to a Pain Free Back” for my clients. In Gokhale’s book, she offers excellent step-by-step instructions on how to sit, walk, and even sleep properly!
You’ll be pleasantly surprised by how much some minor adjustments to your environment and an awareness of your postural habits, along with self corrections, can help alleviate stress and pain. Remember, it is never too late to better your posture.