How to Have Better Posture: A Guide to Cue For Improvement
Considerations For a Posture-Based Therapist
- Updated - July 31, 2024
Do you remember your mother asking you to sit up straight or a school teacher telling you not to slouch in class? These instructions, while well-intentioned, often only provide temporary solutions. Understanding how to have better posture involves more than just asking someone to stand up straight, draw their core in, or lift their chest upwards and out. Such external cues often fail to address the deeper, unique posture patterns of an individual. Instead, achieving lasting improvement requires releasing, molding, and expanding the body’s natural alignment. Weak core muscles, often resulting from inactivity and modern-day habits, can lead to leaning forward and contribute to poor posture.
The same can be said when a therapist working with a client uses verbal posture cues or an exercise to influence the outward makeup of their clients. For example, many personal trainers try to build up the area between the shoulder blades (scapula) to’ remove’ rounded shoulders – often having the effect of driving a pattern deeper into the body. Sometimes, it’s touching on small changes that can make a difference.
A physical therapist can improve posture by evaluating alignment, correcting musculoskeletal issues, and providing strategies to enhance bodily positioning. Understanding the client’s unique posture pattern and muscle imbalances is critical to crafting a practical plan for improvement. Additionally, they can help clients maintain good posture through targeted exercises and regular movement.
Perceiving Correct Posture
Quite often, well-meaning activity can drive a pattern deeper into the body – potentially deepening existing unwanted patterns. To understand and correct posture effectively, it is essential to recognize the factors influencing our perception of balance and posture within the body.
Proper standing posture, which should be fluid and flexible rather than stiff or rigid, plays a significant role in overall body alignment and helps prevent discomfort while promoting balance and strength.
These factors include:
- Support from Below: Stability from the ground up is fundamental. How stable do we feel on our feet and legs, and how does this stability (or lack thereof) affect the alignment and posture of the upper body? The foundation provided by our feet and legs impacts our overall balance, posture, and ability to maintain an upright position. Issues such as flat feet, weak ankles, or imbalanced leg muscles can lead to compensatory postural adjustments further up the body, resulting in poor posture.
- Capacity to Adapt to Change: The body’s readiness and ability to adapt to new demands or changes in posture are crucial. Are we ready to be taken (or pushed) beyond our existing ability? If not, trying too hard can lead to resistance or injury. Muscle strength, flexibility, proprioception, and overall physical condition influence the body’s adaptive capacity. Gradual and controlled challenges to the body can enhance its ability to adapt and improve posture over time.
- Structural Compatibility: This refers to how well you have understood what has been asked of you and how well your body’s structure (posture) can work with any changes imposed upon it. Structural compatibility involves assessing the individual’s unique anatomical features, muscle imbalances, and habitual movement patterns. An effective posture correction strategy must consider these factors to ensure that any changes are sustainable and do not cause further imbalances or discomfort.
Maintaining good posture is crucial as it involves the development of strong muscles and proper body mechanics. By understanding factors that can influence change, it becomes possible to make a lasting change. While there may be moments in this post where the sentiment may appear negative towards cues, there is a clear and definite place in the therapeutic process for cues and clues.
Importance of Muscle Strength and Training
Muscle weakness can significantly impact posture and increase the risk of injury, making strength training essential to combat these issues. Weak muscles, particularly in the core, back, and legs, can lead to poor posture and an increased likelihood of musculoskeletal problems. Strength training exercises that target these muscle groups can help improve posture by providing better support and stability to the spine and joints.
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Role of Cues in Kinesthetic Awareness
The client’s ability to use audio, visual, or tactile cues to build kinesthetic awareness allows for a more comprehensive and deeper approach to fostering confidence and, ultimately, independence. Kinesthetic awareness refers to the body’s ability to sense its position, movement, and alignment in space.
By incorporating different cues, therapists can enhance the client’s proprioceptive skills, helping them better understand their body mechanics and posture.
- Audio Cues: Verbal instructions or feedback can help clients understand the correct positioning and movement patterns. For example, a therapist might use phrases like “engage your core” or “lift your shoulders” to guide the client.
- Visual Cues: Demonstrations, mirrors, or visual aids can clearly show proper posture and movement. Seeing the correct form can help clients mimic and internalize these patterns.
- Tactile Cues: Physical touch or manual adjustments by the therapist can provide direct feedback on posture and alignment. This can help clients feel the correct positioning and understand how to achieve it independently.
By integrating these cues into the therapeutic process, clients can develop a more intuitive sense of their posture and make more effective adjustments. This comprehensive approach improves posture and enhances overall body awareness and coordination.
In summary, perceiving correct posture involves understanding the foundational elements of stability, the body’s capacity to adapt to change, and the compatibility of structural adjustments. Strength training and various cues are vital in developing and maintaining good posture, ultimately leading to better physical health and well-being.
Fascia: A Whole Body System
The role of fascia as a whole-body system can alter movement patterns far from the site of any restriction. Through this network of interconnections, the fascial system draws its importance.
The fascial system is a continuous web of connective tissue that envelops and permeates every muscle, bone, nerve, blood vessel, and organ in the body. This intricate network is vital in maintaining structural integrity, support, and movement coordination.
If mobility is compromised due to trauma, lack of use, or poor habitual movement patterns, then directional pulls on fascial sheets (or the ability of the fascia of one muscle to move on another) may be limited or completely impaired, leading to tight muscles. For example, if an individual experiences an injury that causes scar tissue to form within the fascia, this can restrict movement not only at the injury site but also in other parts of the body connected by the fascial network.
Importance of Proper Posture for Fascia Health
Proper posture is crucial in maintaining the health and functionality of the fascial system. When the body is aligned correctly, the fascial network is balanced, allowing for efficient movement and reducing the risk of strain and injury. Conversely, poor posture can create imbalances in the fascial system, leading to compensatory movement patterns that further exacerbate issues.
Strengthening exercises that promote proper posture can prevent weak muscles from jeopardizing posture and leading to injury. Targeted exercises that enhance core stability, back strength, and overall body alignment can help maintain the elasticity and fluidity of the fascial system. For example, exercises like planks, bridges, and proper stretching routines can support fascial health.
Challenges of Non-Direct Approaches
It is here where non-direct approaches, like cues, can find it difficult to influence change. While verbal cues and minor adjustments can provide temporary relief or improvement, they often do not address the underlying fascial restrictions contributing to poor posture. Changes to the fascial system can impact how we move and hold ourselves, making it difficult to ‘lift’ out of an existing pattern.
For instance, asking someone to stand up straight or push out their chest can be an exercise in futility – frustrating for both client and practitioner alike. These instructions might not consider the deep-seated fascial restrictions that must be released for actual postural improvement.
Positive Impact of Direct Approaches
While cues and clues can influence how we move and hold ourselves, it is important to consider the positive impact that direct approaches can create. Manual therapy techniques, such as myofascial release, Rolfing, and structural integration, can directly address fascial restrictions. These therapies involve hands-on fascia manipulation to release tension, improve mobility, and restore proper alignment.
Incorporating fascial release techniques into regular exercise routines can help maintain fascial health. Foam rolling, dynamic stretching, and other myofascial release methods can target specific areas of tightness and improve overall movement quality.
The fascial system is crucial to our body’s structural and functional health. Understanding its role and addressing it directly and indirectly is essential for improving posture and overall well-being. While non-direct approaches like cues can offer some benefits, incorporating direct fascial work and strengthening exercises is critical to achieving lasting postural improvements. By focusing on the health and flexibility of the fascial system, we can enhance movement efficiency, reduce pain, and promote a balanced, aligned posture.
Improving Overall Balanced Posture to Relieve Muscle Tension
It’s beyond the scope of this post to formulate a program of change based on principles and goals; however, a few considerations can influence any questions you may have to improve your posture. One such consideration is sleeping on your side with your knees bent, which can help maintain better spinal alignment and prevent neck pain.
Identifying Issues and Limitations
Firstly, see where any issues or limitations can hold you back. Postural problems often stem from various factors, including muscle imbalances, joint restrictions, and habitual movement patterns. Identifying these factors is the first step toward improvement. For instance, you might notice that one shoulder is higher than the other or that you experience back pain after sitting for extended periods. These observations can help pinpoint areas that need attention.
Mapping a 3-Dimensional Understanding
Map the way out from this point to the most superficial aspects of the presenting pattern – developing a 3-dimensional understanding of an individual’s structural (form) composition. This holistic approach involves considering the entire body’s alignment and how different parts interact with one another. Doing so lets you identify how an issue in one area might affect other body parts.
- Knowing Down Allows You to Find Up: Understanding the foundational aspects of posture. For example, foot placement and arch support can significantly influence the alignment of the legs, hips, and spine. Issues like flat feet can lead to compensatory changes higher up in the body.
- Knowing Deep Allows You to Find Superficial: Recognizing deeper structural issues to address superficial symptoms. Core stability, for instance, affects how the entire body maintains posture. Weak core muscles can lead to superficial symptoms like lower back pain or rounded shoulders.
- Knowing the Front Allows You to Find the Back. Balancing the anterior and posterior aspects of the body. Tight chest muscles can pull the shoulders forward, while weak back muscles fail to provide adequate support. Addressing these imbalances helps achieve a more balanced posture.
Practical Tips for Maintaining Proper Posture
Keeping your feet flat on the ground while seated is crucial for maintaining proper posture and preventing discomfort. This simple adjustment helps distribute your weight evenly and reduces strain on your lower back. Additionally, ensure that your chair provides adequate support for your lower back, and adjust the height so your knees are at a right angle.
For a practitioner, creating a balance between these relationships requires a situation in which all these elements can be improved. Returning to the starting position after each exercise or stretch is essential to maintain a neutral posture. This involves addressing the immediate symptoms and working on the underlying causes of postural issues.
The Role of Leg Muscles
Quite often, the issue at hand is not necessarily the area presenting symptomatically. The role of leg muscles is significant in maintaining proper posture and spine alignment. For example, tight hamstrings can pull the pelvis into a posterior tilt, affecting the lower back and overall posture. Similarly, weak quadriceps and gluteal muscles can lead to an anterior pelvic tilt, causing excessive curvature in the lower spine.
For example, improper seating habits, such as crossing your legs or sitting with one leg tucked under the other, can overstretch these muscles and contribute to postural imbalances. Regular stretching and strengthening exercises for the legs can help maintain proper alignment and prevent these issues.
Addressing Compensatory Patterns
The degree to which change is possible is relative to how well a therapist or trainer can piece together the goals and needs of a session and/or series of sessions. Once an understanding of what is occurring is recognized, addressing any compensatory (secondary) patterns before addressing core issues can influence structural/functional needs.
Compensatory patterns develop when the body adapts to limitations or imbalances by altering movement patterns. For example, if you have a tight hip flexor on one side, you might shift your weight to the other to compensate, leading to imbalances in the hips and lower back. Addressing these patterns involves:
- Assessment: A thorough evaluation of posture and movement to identify compensatory behaviors.
- Correction: Targeted exercises and interventions to address the primary issues and prevent compensatory patterns from developing.
- Education: Teach clients proper posture and movement techniques to maintain balance and prevent future issues.
Improving posture requires a comprehensive approach that addresses the entire body. By identifying and addressing issues and limitations, mapping a 3-dimensional understanding of structural composition, maintaining proper alignment through practical tips, focusing on the role of leg muscles, and addressing compensatory patterns, you can significantly improve your posture and relieve muscle tension. This holistic approach enhances physical health and contributes to overall well-being and quality of life.
In Closing
Good posture, balance, and integration require an approach that changes the ‘whole’ person—with the level of order possible as a critical point of reference. A structured program that combines a range of skills and protocols can positively influence our ability to move, leading to a more responsive body when training. Poor posture can lead to serious health issues such as back and neck pain, headaches, and breathing difficulties.
By considering this when developing a treatment, exercise, or movement-based program, you can better influence change while allowing the whole body to adapt to expectations placed upon it through cues. Forward Head posture can increase the risk of neck pain and other discomforts such as back pain and headaches.
Improving posture is a comprehensive process involving understanding individual patterns, strengthening weak muscles, and employing direct and indirect methods to bring about lasting change. By focusing on the entire body and considering all aspects of movement and structure, we can achieve better posture and overall well-being.
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