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An explanation of how impactful your posture is on how your body functions
Do you remember being a kid and a grown up telling you to "straighten up" or not to slump? Posture isn't something that we've considered as pivotal to our health historically, however the truth is coming out. Posture goes far beyond appearances; it profoundly impacts various aspects of our health and well-being. Our posture heavily influences the way we move through space and our physiology. We are designed to be bipedal, upright organisms with a particular posture. This is reflected in the 'S' shape of the spine (as viewed from the side), which helps to balance the body's weight as well as reduce & disperse the pressure of gravity & movement.
Let's delve into the significance of posture and how it influences movement, pain, mood, breathing, energy levels, nervous system function, and more.
"Posture isn't something that we've considered as pivotal to our health historically, however the truth is coming out."
Pain
Poor posture can increase the pressures of movement and gravity in certain areas of your body, leading to disproportionate loading of that area. This can lead to pain. A relatable example of this is having a forward head posture (or anterior head carriage). For every centimetre that your ears fall forward of your shoulders, it doubles the pressure at the back of your neck to hold your head up. This was also bolstered by the findings of a meta-analysis, finding a strong association between a forward head posture and neck pain.
Mood
Our mood can heavily influence our posture. If you think to a time when you felt down, anxious or even awkward, did you notice how your body assumed a 'smaller' position, literally taking up less space in the world? We tend to assume positions that allow us to feel as though we are 'protecting' ourselves. Or when you were feeling incredible, you had just won a competition or you feel completely at ease, you held your body more openly, sitting or standing more upright, taking up more space.
Our posture can also greatly influence our mood. You can think of this as the "fake it 'til you make it" option. Holding yourself in a "power" pose, or essentially sitting or standing with good posture, you can actually change your hormonal picture and thus your mood. Even making yourself smile (even when you don't feel like it) by holding a pen side to side between your teeth can actually make you feel the same feelings as when you smile naturally or feel happy.
Check out this TED Talk by Amy Cuddy on what she calls "Power Poses". There are some incredible findings from her research!
Breathing
I want you to try this: either sitting or standing, allow yourself to slump as much as you can. Let your shoulders roll forward, your head shift forward and your chest to drop down. Now, try to take a deep breath in that position. It's hard right? Now sit or stand up tall, lifting your chest, holding your head above your shoulders and your chin slightly raised, and your shoulders broad. Now take a deep breath.
What did you notice? It's a lot easier taking a deep breath with your chest open and broad compared to when you're slumped and closed off. This is because your lung capacity increases and diaphragm and intercostal muscles are able to contract properly when you have an upright posture.
Energy levels
How could posture affect energy levels? This seems a stretch, but multiple studies have found that practicing good posture can actually improve your energy levels by 10-15%. The possible mechanisms behind posture affecting energy levels include breathing (as we just discussed), as well as circulation (which we soon will discuss), muscle strain and psychological effects.
"Multiple studies have found that practicing good posture can actually improve your energy levels by 10-15%"
Nervous System Function
Your nervous system is split into different branches that have different roles. In your autonomic branch (the part that coordinates the functions you can't control. like blood pressure and digestion), is split again into two, into the rest and digest (parasympathetic) nervous system and the fight or flight (sympathetic) nervous system. Ideally you are designed to spend majority of your time in the rest and digest system, only using the fight or flight system for life threatening situations.
However, when you slump, rounding your back, letting your shoulder slump forward and letting your chin drop and head shift forwards, that activates your fight or flight system. This is partly because this is a strong position to fight from or protect yourself from, and partly because your fight or flight system 'lives' in your mid to upper back, and it becomes stimulated when the spine in that area is moved into flexion or rounded. You can imagine this becomes a problem if you're not actually in a life-threatening situation, but your body thinks you are. Being in this state for too long can cause big problems, like restrict blood flow (and therefore function) to your digestive system, immune system, reproductive organs and your prefrontal cortex (which controls your conscious thought) to name a few. If you want to learn more about that, check out this blog post.
Circulation
Posture can even affect blood flow through your blood vessels, if your joints are not stacked well or as they are inteded to be. Having a forward head posture can compress the carotid arteries that course through the neck into the head and affect blood flow to the brain. This compression can lead to symptoms like dizziness, headaches, and even cognitive decline.
Similarly slumping and forward head posture can contribute to Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS), a condition that occurs when there is compression of the blood vessels or nerves in the space between the collarbone and the first rib (thoracic outlet). This can cause pins and needles, numbness and tingling into the arms, weakness in the arm muscles or grip, and even discolouration or swelling of the arms.
Poor posture can also affect venous return, which is the flow of blood back to the heart. For instance, prolonged sitting with poor posture can lead to compression of the veins in the legs and pelvis, contributing to conditions like deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
Another study found that head and neck posture can influence intracranial pressure (ICP). Poor neck positioning can increase ICP, potentially leading to headaches and other neurological symptoms.
Hormones
What?? Posture can also affect your hormones?
Absolutely.
As mentioned earlier, Amy Cuddy's research found that people who stood or sat with poor posture or "low-power" poses even just for two minutes, had a decrease in their testosterone by 10% and an increase of cortisol by 15%. As testosterone helps with neuroplasticity (your ability to learn new things), wards off cognitive aging and helps with focus, memory and mood stabilisation, this isn't a very positive outcome. Cortisol is the stress hormone in our body, so causes lots of changes that coincide with stress.
So you can see how impactful posture really is on so many functions within our bodies.
What About Good Posture?
Good posture forms the foundation of efficient movement. When our bodies are aligned correctly, our muscles, joints, and ligaments can work together seamlessly, as we are intended to be. Proper alignment ensures that we move with ease and no friction, reducing the risk of injury and pain.
" Good posture can actually increase testosterone levels by 20% and decrease cortisol levels by 25%"
Further to this, practicing good posture can decrease your experience of pain, increase your levels of happiness and confidence, lung capacity and oxygenation levels, energy levels by 10-15%, improve circulation and intracranial pressure. Also, good posture can actually increase testosterone levels by 20% and decrease cortisol levels by 25%. That is HUGE.
Additionally, 90% of the stimulation and nutrition to the brain comes from spinal movement. This makes your spine like your "battery pack", driving more energy with its movement. This is a key part of the picture, as keeping your spine well aligned helps to keep it mobile.
"90% of the stimulation and nutrition to the brain comes from spinal movement. This makes your spine like your "battery pack"."
Chiropractic and Posture
Chiropractors spend a lot of time working on your spine, finding areas that don't move well, making sure they do move well with an adjustment and in the process changing the neurology of that part of the body. This creates a stronger brain-body connection and allows the brain to resume optimal control of the area, meaning what ever else the nerves there supply can function better. Through creating this improved brain-body connection, as well as improved joint movement, Chiropractic care often helps to create good posture. It's a no-brainer.
Practicing Good Posture
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, so your knees & hips centred over the top of your ankles.
Try to have your weight going through your heels.
Activate your deep core; this may require you to draw your belly inwards and slightly 'tuck' your buttocks under or pull your pubic bone up with your abdominal muscles.
Slightly lift your chest & broaden your shoulders (not rotate them forward or pinch them at the back).
Imagine you are trying to fill a doorway with your shoulders, by trying to separate your shoulder blades (without rolling your shoulders forward).
Slightly elevate your shoulders.
Center your ears directly above your shoulders by slightly pulling your head and chin backwards.
Try to lengthen your spine as though you are 'lifting' your ribcage up off of your hips.
Try this in front of a mirror for best results.
Sitting posture is exactly the same, except knees should be slightly lower than your hips on your sitting surface.
Tools to Help
It can be difficult to constantly remember to work on your posture while you're busy working or looking after the kids. So there are some simple yet extremely helpful tools you can use to get your posture on track.
Posture Pole
It is a simple tool, but greatly effective. It is a long foam roller cut in half (to become a "D" roll). Lay it on the floor, and then lay on it yourself on your back, from your head to your buttocks, with your knees bent up and feet on the floor, your arms out to your sides with palms facing the roof...and then you just lay there. For anywhere between 5-30 minutes.
If you do this before bed, there is a strong chance you will sleep better for it. This is because you have stimulated your rest and digest nervous system by having an open chest posture (as discussed earlier in this post). It is super simple, very cost effective and easy to do! Check out the posture pole next time you're at Reconnect, or get in contact if you'd like to purchase one.
Posture Seat Wedge
If you spend a lot of time in your day sitting or driving, the posture seat wedge is a fantastic way to reduce the impact of sitting on your body and help you to maintain better posture. It is made of a comfortable foam with a cover. It is angled to raise your hips above your knees, maintaining an angle of slightly less than 90 degrees at your hips, which can help to take the pressure off of your hips, pelvis and lower back. Additionally, this helps to maintain the curvature in the lumbar spine.
Reflective Questions
How often do you think you hold good posture, especially when you're not conscious of it?
What would you rate your posture out of 10?
What kinds of health troubles or symptoms do you think could be related to your posture?
How does your posture & your spine being a 'battery pack' relate to your day to day life?
How does it feel to practice good posture?
If you would like to get your posture assessed or purchase any of the products, please contact Dr. Xanthe Hand at Reconnect Chiropractic on 0472 924 000 or visit www.reconnectchiropractic.com.au to make a booking.
Thank you for visiting our Reconnect Blog
Rannoch Circle Hamersley, WA
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