Choice Physical Therapy of St. Albans: Posture

Home

» Blog

» Posture

Posture

How often do you think about your posture? Do you know what the common postural deviations are? What are the common activities that cause these deviations?

People will come into the clinic with a variety of conditions. Many of these issues are not caused by a single traumatic incident but often by daily repetition. Poor posture can occur in multiple parts of the body including the neck, shoulders, mid spine, and lower spine. It’s not uncommon for some postural deviations to have a cascading effect that can have repercussions throughout the body. Being aware of these deviations and forming good habits to avoid them can go a long way toward your overall spine and joint health. Let’s talk about it.

Most issues with posture arise from the fact that almost everything we interact with is in front of us. People, books, tools, computers, steering wheels, and pretty much everything else we use is positioned in front of us so we can see and manipulate it. As I write this, I am sitting at a desk and typing on a laptop. I am being *extra* conscious of my posture because I’m currently thinking about all the conditions that can result from less-than-adequate posture. We need to discuss some anatomy to properly understand what is at stake here.

There are three (not counting the sacrum and coccyx at the bottom) main sections of the spine, the cervical spine (neck), the thoracic spine (mid back), and the lumbar spine (low back). Each one has its own curvature. The cervical spine has a mild “C” curvature which bows forward; the thoracic spine has a greater “C” curve that bows back, and the lumbar spine, you guessed it, has a “C” curve that bows forward.

The shoulders are ball and socket joints that allow our arms to move freely in many directions. If you take one hand and feel the top of your opposite shoulder, you’ll find that there is a mostly flat bone over the ball and socket. This acts as a “roof” to the shoulder joint which provides protection. One downside of this is that it leaves little space for all of the anatomical structures in the shoulder including bone, tendons, nerves, and blood vessels. Poor posture can shrink that already small space. Now, one of the most common modern day postural deviations is “tech neck.”

Picture this; you’re in a waiting room before a medical appointment (maybe even a physical therapy appointment). You look over to the person sitting next to you and they are holding their phone in their lap, looking almost straight down at it, shoulders in a rounded and shrugged position, and mid back in a hunch. This position can be tolerable for short periods but being a habitual offender of this “tech neck” position can have detrimental effects over time.

How much weight would you guess is put on the neck when it’s in a forward flexed position at 60 degrees? 10 pounds? 20 pounds? Try 60 pounds!

Yes, that’s like having a small child sitting on your neck! Imagine doing this for 30 minutes or more at a time every day. This can cause damage to tendons, ligaments, and even affect the “C” curvature of your cervical spine.

What can you do about this? The solutions can be simple and effective. Being aware of your posture is the first step to avoiding tech neck. Here are some tips.

Be sure that your shoulders are stacked above your hips when both seated and standing
Avoid excessive neck flexion (looking down) and try to raise up your device. You can still flex your neck a little and use your eyes to look the rest of the way down at your raised device.
To avoid slouching, make sure that your low back (lumbar spine) has the appropriate “C” curve that bows forward. You can check this by imagining that you are gently being pulled up by a string attached to the top of your head. If you’re slouching, then you’ll notice the lumbar spine going from a flat to a curved position. If you find that there is already a comfortable and healthy curve present, then stop…because your lumbar spine is in the position that it should be.
If available, be sure to use the lumbar support in the driver's seat of your vehicle to help maintain healthy spinal curvature.
To help combat a forward rounded shoulder position you can stand or sit up straight and gently pinch your shoulder blades together. It’s easy to accidentally engage your upper traps or “shrug” muscles while doing this. To avoid this, try slightly depressing your shoulders as you pinch your shoulder blades together. This exercise strengthens your mid back muscles to help keep your shoulders in a more neutral position instead of a potentially forward and rounded one. Remember, the “roof” bone over the shoulder does not allow for much space, and rounded shoulders can result in structures like tendons and nerves becoming compressed. Not fun!
Strengthening the mid back muscles is only half the battle. Weak mid back muscles are usually accompanied by tight pectoral muscles. One way to stretch your pecs can be seen in the image below and is demonstrated in the video link. Be sure to place one foot forward to help support your body weight so that you're performing the stretch without your arms needing to support your body weight.

If you have any shoulder condition or physical limitation that you feel would prevent you from safely performing this stretch then be sure to consult your doctor or physical therapist before attempting. Be safe!