Posture
Standing straight; it would seem like a pretty easy thing to do. However, incorrect posture brought about by activities of daily living and our current lifestyle brings about postural imbalances on a regular basis.
If one should examine how to properly stand straight:
- Chin is at 90 degrees to the ground
- Shoulders are very straight and pulled back
- Your spine curves towards the lower back and neck
- Your core is held tight and stable
- Weight is evenly distributed over both feet
- How many of us can actually say we do stand straight?
So why do we need good posture?
In many circumstances a body will react to a dysfunction by realigning posture and there will be no side affects or discomfort as a result. Our bodies have an outstanding ability to adapt to changes in our environment, and any compensatory posture, which may arise, can be there for a reason.
Another scenario however, is that a body will react to activities of daily living by creating a new posture and this in itself will cause dysfunction. Thus when we are looking at a problem from a therapeutic angle it is often necessary to examine a person's posture and to prescribe exercises/ treatments for a person's posture.
Benefits of good posture
A well proportioned erect posture:
- Optimizes breathing
- Affects the circulation of bodily fluids
- Distributes weight evenly over the body structure
- Creates movements and activities that are more efficient.
- An erect posture is therefore most desirable and highly effective for the body structure and proportion