With the kids going back to school and the rest of us back at work I want to bring posture to your attention. With those heavy school bags and long days in the office, posture is something to be aware of, even during our downtime.

We are always being told to sit up straight, stop slouching and stand tall. But why is good posture important and how do we achieve it?

Our head weighs how much?

With our head weighing approximately 5kg there is a fair bit of weight that needs to be supported and controlled by the small muscles in the front and particularly the back of our neck. Because these muscles are small they can become tired very easily if our posture is incorrect and this results in stress being placed on the ligaments that hold our joints together.

Our body is designed for our head to sit directly above our spine in a neutral position so there is minimal tension placed on the different muscles and ligaments. What we don't want is a forward head posture; this is when our head is sitting in front of our spine and placing a lot of stress on the muscles and ligaments which can end up effecting the nerve system. A good example of this is when someone is looking down at their phone or tablet for extended periods of time.

This can result in different aches and pains as well as headaches right from a young age and although this is something that is common, it sure is not normal. What we know now is that children/teenagers who experience spinal dysfunction resulting in pain will become adults who also experience this pain in multiple spinal regions.

With the increasing amount of time being spent on tablets and smartphones today it is becoming more and more common to see people, and particularly children, with forward head posture. The muscles in the back of our neck just can’t handle this for extended periods of time.

Poor posture vs. Good posture

A study at Auckland University completed in 2007 looked at the effect of poor posture in a stressful situation. This study put two groups through a stressful task with one of these groups in a slouched (bad) posture and the other group in an upright (good) posture. What they found is that the group in the upright posture was better able to cope with the stressful task in comparison to those with a slouched posture

A very interesting finding from this study was that they also noticed the group with an upright posture had higher self-esteem, better mood and a lower sense of fear. A lot of these points can be linked back to how we breathe; when we’re in a slouched posture, our breathing is restricted as our lungs are unable to expand to their fullest capacity, therefore, our oxygen intake is reduced. This can result in fatigue, increased stress, negative mood and decreased motivation.

To apply this study to ‘real life’, imagine being hunched over your office/school desk or driving with a slouched posture for hours at a time. At some point, something has to give and it may not be today, next week or even next year but at some point, your body won’t be able to take the strain anymore.

How to improve your posture

There are so many different recommendations and tips out there for improving our posture that I could literally write a book about it, however here are a few different tips that I find particularly useful.

First, bring your device to eye level. Whether it’s your phone, tablet or computer screen, raising it to eye level is going to reduce the strain placed on your neck.
Second, sit up straight! This is important, as when we are seated there is 40%-90% more weight being placed on the discs in our lower back in comparison to standing. Bend your hips and knees to 90 degrees and have your back firmly supported by the backrest. As the postural muscles start to wake up after not being used for some time, this may be slightly uncomfortable for some initially, but persevere and you will notice an improvement in posture.
MOVE! Our bodies are made to move. Movement literally feeds our brain with all the different messages that are being sent to and from. If you are spending extended periods of time seated, make the time to take a break and move! Every 45-60 minutes get up and move around, even if it’s just to grab a glass of water or use the bathroom.
Finally, get checked by a chiropractor. When our spine and nerve system are free from interference our bodies are more aware of what is going on, right down to our toes! And this is great for our posture.

References

Aartun, E., Hartvigsen, J., Wedderkopp, N., & Hestbaek, L. (2014). Spinal pain in adolescents: prevalence, incidence, and course: a school-based two-year prospective cohort study in 1,300 Danes aged 11–13. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 15(1). doi:10.1186/1471-2474-15-187

Claus, A., Hides, J., Moseley, G. L., & Hodges, P. (2008). Sitting versus standing: Does the intradiscal pressure cause disc degeneration or low back pain? Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 18(4), 550-558. doi:10.1016/j.jelekin.2006.10.011

Nair, S., Sagar, M., Sollers, J., Consedine, N., & Broadbent, E. (2015). Do slumped and upright postures affect stress responses? A randomized trial. Health Psychology, 34(6), 632-641. doi:10.1037/hea0000146