Contact with us
The posture
- Posture is the position in which we hold our bodies while sitting, standing, walking, or laying down. Good posture means correct alignment of body parts supported by the right amount of muscle tension against gravity. The key to getting into a good posture is the position of the spine. Our spine has three different curves at the neck, back, and lower back. The natural existence of these three curves along with joints and discs between our spines is designed to take the load of human body weight properly.
- when we talk about posture we consider two different types, static and dynamic. Static posture is how you hold yourself when you are not moving, like when you are sitting, standing, or driving and Dynamic posture is the way you hold yourself while moving like when walking, running. Different muscle groups as well as other contractile and non-contractile structures such as tendons and ligaments work together to maintain the body in different postures.
What is the correct posture?
- Gravity is a downward pull or force that the earth exerts on your body. To understand the correct posture, it is essential to know what the “line of gravity” means.
- The line of gravity is the line passing through earlobes, the body of neck vertebrae, slightly in front of the shoulder, the body of lower back vertebrae, the hip, slightly in front of the knee joint, and slightly in front of the lateral malleolus (the bump outside of the ankle).
- To have an ideal balanced posture, the line of gravity should pass through these points.
- Different muscle groups work simultaneously together to keep the body in an erect posture.
- A balanced posture reduces the work done by these muscles and prevents muscle strain and spasm.
Why good posture is important?
- Proper body alignment can help prevent excess stress on your joints, muscles, and spine, alleviating pain and reducing the likelihood of injury.
- Some muscle groups in our neck and back area working together to counterbalance the pull of gravity on the forward head. When we keep our body in a balanced posture, these muscle groups work only as they are supposed to do so. However, in the case of faulty postures, these muscles should have work more than their capacity to overcome the new challenges. As a result, muscles become more susceptible to painful strains and spasms.
- A good posture prevents shoulder, neck, and back pains. It also prevents some types of headaches which are related to muscle tensions. In addition, a good, balanced posture decreases the wear and tear on the joint surfaces and protects them from being damaged. There are also other benefits of having a good posture which is as follows:
- Improve blood flow to the spine and brain.
- Self-confidence.
- Have better breathing.
- Maximize energy and decrease fatigue.
- Improve mood.
- Better digestion.
- More energy.
Poor posture
- Somewhere between 50-70% of Canadians complain of back pain during their lifetime. Poor posture is one of the main contributing factors that cause back pain.
- As technology rapidly grows people spend more time using laptops, tablets, and cellphones for their day-to-day life. Using your laptop or computer for work, reading an e-book on your tablet while traveling by subway, surfing on Instagram or Facebook, or paying a bill on your cellphone are some examples. When we use cellphones, for instance, we bend our neck and head forward to have our eyes align with our cellphone’s screen.
- In the forward head position, the effect of gravity’s pull on our head and neck would be several times more than normal. As a result, neck, shoulder, and back muscles have to work harder against gravity to compensate and will be overloaded. Over time, this leads to chronic pain and fatigue. Besides, more than normal pressure would be applied on structures such as spine joints, discs, ligaments Etc. causing repetitive traumas on these structures which is called “microtrauma”.
Poor posture causes:
- Forward head posture and Rounded shoulder.
- Increase pressure on the spine, making it more prone to injury and degeneration.
- Cause Pain and tension over the back, chest, neck, and shoulders.
- Trigger Migraines and tension headaches.
- poor nervous system functioning.
- Pin and needle and numbness in the arms and hands.
- Decreasing your range of motion and flexibility
- slouched posture leads to a decrease in our lungs volumes and difficulty in breathing over time.
- It also might affect food digestion.