What is Good Posture?

What is Posture?

Posture is the way your body positions yourself.  Your posture is determined by the shape and size of your bones and the give and pull of the muscles of the body.  Assuming there are no anatomical birth defects or traumatic accidents, the posture of the spine in a healthy adult has 4 distinct curves, which go forward and backwards.  You are born with 2 of these curves in your mid back and sacrum or tail bone and you develop 2 more as you mature, in the neck and lower back.  The 2 curves you’re born with are called kyphotic or primary curves.  They round out towards your backside.  The 2 curves you develop are called lordotic or secondary curves and they round out towards your front side.  The body is not supposed to have curves that round out to the sides, which is a condition called scoliosis.

What is Good Posture?

Good posture can be measured by looking at specific body landmarks in relation to others.  This can be easily done by standing next to a weighted string to see where a straight line passes through your body from the side.  Some people call this a “plumb line”.  To achieve the best posture for your body the string should pass through the following parts of your body:

• Ear lobe
• Mid point of shoulder
• Center of hip
• Center of knee
• Slightly anterior or in front of your ankle bone

If the plumb line does not pass through these body parts on you, then you do not have proper posture.  Having an altered posture creates distortions and imbalances in your muscles, movement, and stance.  Over time, it can easily lead to pain and arthritis.  Poor posture also creates subluxations in the spine, which leads to an decrease in the functioning of your body and nervous system.

Poor posture is a very common problem for many individuals, but that doesn’t mean it’s normal.  It is much easier to correct postural tendencies when you are younger.  In really chronic situations, it can be irreversible.  Having a good posture is an important aspect to having and living a healthy life.  Do yourself a favor and get your postured checked!

Posture Analysis on our receptionist Shantoi

*Our office routinely does postural workups on our patients.  We are able to track what your posture should be relatively against what you already have.  We find anterior head carriage to be the biggest problem for most people and a common cause of upper back and or neck pain.  We find it so often, we have termed the posture problem “Vulture Neck.”  If you would like to get your posture analyzed, call our office.