Posture – 7 Surprising Facts!
Posture Facts | Valued Health Osteopathy
Do you think about your posture??
We are here for your myth busting pleasure again at Valued Health Osteopathy and we are going to break down some old wives tales about posture for you.
Posture is NOT an evil word, and we don’t need to forget about it completely, but we may need to adapt some of our thought processes behind what it means and what we should aim for. Posture can tell us a lot about a person, it may indicate that the person is exhibiting protective mechanisms, apprehension, in a state of distress or reflecting the different moods we can experience and our behavioural responses to pain (1).
Despite the perpetuation of the belief that there is a ‘correct’ posture there is no strong evidence to support that avoiding any ‘incorrect’ postures can prevent low back pain, or that any single spinal curvature is strongly associated with pain (2).
When we are experiencing lower back pain, we are often told to ‘protect our spine’ by consciously activating our “core” muscles to maintain a “correct” posture. Although this isn’t necessarily the wrong thing to do, research is now indicating that people with lower back pain actually tend to bend their spine less and show more trunk muscle activity when forward bending and lifting anyway, which can contribute to a guarded way of moving and cause fear and lower self-efficacy in patients (3).
Unfortunately, there is no postural ‘one size fits all’ approach, as what is comfortable for me might not be comfortable for you. However, the benefit of this is, we all have the potential to explore our postures for ourselves and find what works best for us. It also enables us to realise that posture is really an ever-changing landscape and what works well for you, posture wise today, might change in the next week, month or year, but you can adapt to it! Some great advice is to move in more ways, more often!
Another important thing to note, is that you can have an upright, relaxed posture. It might sound strange, but we don’t all have to try so hard to achieve something that might not be possible or ‘ideal’ for our bodies.
Here is a quick scan of your body you could try. As you sit here reading this article, I want you to bring your attention (without judgement) to your feet on the ground and notice where they are resting, notice your sit bones on your chair and if your weight is even between them, bring your attention to your upper back and neck and notice if you have hunched forwards towards the computer.
Now, sit up straight and pull your shoulders back and down. Notice how that feels, probably like a lot of hard work and maybe slightly uncomfortable?
Now, relax back into a natural posture for you and THIS time, think about attaching a big balloon filled with helium to the top of your head, and let the helium balloon take away some of the weight of your head on your neck and allow you to float up to a more upright position. Feels pretty different hey? This is a quick example of what a relaxed upright posture might feel like for you.
Awareness seems to be key with posture. If we can regularly notice how we are holding ourselves (in a non-judgmental way) throughout the day and think about moving around more and sitting in ways that might help us feel better, this could be a really positive change for our bodies. We may also need to shift our thinking towards ‘trusting your back’ whilst staying active (4) and building the confidence to move! You’ve got this!!
Surprising Facts About Posture… ‘Sit Up Straight’: Time to Re-evaluate – Infographic
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at the clinic on (03) 9570 9061 and speak to one of our friendly reception staff or Osteopaths so that we can help you to Move, Grow and Thrive.
You do not need a referral to see one of our friendly Osteopaths at Valued Health Osteopathy. We have a very good relationship with many surrounding doctors, other health practitioners and personal trainers in the local community of Bentleigh East , Bentleigh, Ormond, McKinnon, Oakleigh, Carnegie, Caulfield, Moorabbin, Murrumbeena, Brighton, Clayton and Clarinda.
Valued Health Osteopathy offers:
Exercise Rehabilitation
Valued Health Osteopathy is open 6 days a week with early morning and evening appointments. Move better with Osteopathy!
Valued Health Osteopathy is located at 3/658 Centre Road, Bentleigh East, Melbourne, Victoria, 3165.
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Osteopath Bentleigh East, Osteopath Bentleigh, Osteopath Ormond, Osteopath McKinnon, Osteopath Moorabbin, Osteopath Murrumbeena, Osteopath Oakleigh, Osteopath Carnegie, Osteopath Caulfield, Osteopath Clayton, Osteopath Brighton and Osteopath Cheltenham, Osteopath Dingley, Osteopath Beaumaris, Osteopath Melbourne.
References:
- Slater, Diane & Korakakis, Vasileios & O’Sullivan, Peter & Nolan, David & O’Sullivan, Kieran. (2019). “Sit Up Straight”: Time to Re-evaluate. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy. 49. 562-564. 10.2519/jospt.2019.0610.Wai Eugene MD,Dagenais Simon DC PhD,Bishop Paul MD PhD DC,Kwon Brian MD PhD FRCSC, 126. Occupational Physical Activities in Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review with Critical Appraisal of Causal Relationships, Spine Journal, The, Volume 9, Issue 10, 2009, Pages 65S-66S, ISSN 1529-9430,http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.spinee.2009.08.154.
- Geisser, Michael & Haig, Andrew & Wallbom, Agnes & Wiggert, Elizabeth. (2004). Pain-Related Fear, Lumbar Flexion, and Dynamic EMG Among Persons With Chronic Musculoskeletal Low Back Pain. The Clinical journal of pain. 20. 61-9. 10.1097/00002508-200403000-00001.Nolan, D., O’Sullivan, K., Stephenson, J., O’Sullivan, P., & Lucock, M. (2019). How do manual handling advisors and physiotherapists construct their back beliefs, and do safe lifting posture beliefs influence them? Musculoskeletal Science and Practice, 39, 101-106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msksp.2018.11.009
