Posture, a New Look at an Old Word

Written by Dr. Cynthia Horner

A new look at creating posture

The ancient Japanese art form of growing Bonsai trees is a fascinating example of creating posture. Bonsai trees are normal shrubs that have been consistently stressed in a particular way for a long time to create a ‘posture’ which would never be found in nature. Depending on how the tree is stressed while it grows, determines how it will grow. 

Our spines are no different; our posture is an expression of the stress we put on our bodies, sometimes creating posture that also would never normally be found in nature.  Bones change shape to accommodate to stress. The body lays down more calcium on bones in areas where muscles pull against them. This is why exercise  helps make strong bones and prevents osteoporosis. Bones that have more weight on them such as our shin bone will become thick with the calcium laid down for strength. Ligaments that hold bones together shorten under stress as do muscles and movement becomes limited.

Ideally, vertebrae stack up one upon the other. The head rests directly on top of the spine, which sits directly over the pelvis, which sits directly over the knees and ankles. But if hours are spent every day sitting in a chair, with the tailbone tucked under and the body hunched forward with the head in front of the body, muscles in the neck and back have to carry the weight rather than it being supported by the spine. The resulting tension and joint pressure can be the cause of shoulder, back pain and headaches.

The human body craves alignment

Posture is not just about standing up straight; it’s about how efficiently your body lines up in gravity. When properly aligned, our bones, not our muscles, support our weight. It takes less energy to let our bones, rather than our muscles support us.  The center of gravity is in the spine somewhere between the hips and chest depending on whether you are a male or female and how you are built. Gravity is trying to pull us down as we struggle all day to stand up against the pull of gravity. The closer our body parts are to your center of gravity the less energy we expend. An example of this is if you hold your arm out in front of your body away from your center of gravity it tires quickly, but when held close to your core or center it does not fatigue as readily.

In some parts of the world, women carry big pots full of water from distant water sources back to their homes. They are able to carry these heavy pots a long distance without significant effort because they balance them on the top of their heads, thereby carrying them at their center of balance and allowing the strength of their skeleton to bear the weight, rather than their muscles. National Geographic Magazine reported that ancient bones of women in the Ethiopian Valley showed much less wearing and tearing than was expected. This was thought to be because of the practice of carrying things on their head.

WARNING: sitting is detrimental to the body

We have become a species that spends on average two more hours a day sitting in chairs than we do sleeping. We have changed from primarily an upright posture to a reclining posture and it starts  in preschool at age three. More sitting is expected through elementary school, and total sitting required in middle school, high school and throughout college.

Sitting stops the use of postural muscles in the legs, buttocks, and spine. The brain turns off electrical impulses to these muscles and calories burned, drops to almost nothing.  We think we can get more out of children when we make them sit because they don’t fatigue as easily and are more easily managed. Muscles fatiguing is good, it deters fidgeting and creates a need to change position which is also good.

When  you sit

• The body creates fewer enzymes some that help digest food.
• The body creates fewer of a different set of enzymes, that help us detox things out of our bodies.
• After a few hours sitting HDL cholesterol (the more desirable ones) levels drop.
• Cortisol also drops creating more sugar in the blood because the cells don’t need it.

Even regular exercise does not reverse the effect of prolonged sitting. Approximately 80% of our brain cells are devoted to movement, so if we turn them off by sitting it makes it harder to learn. There is no static position that optimizes human development.

What can you do?

Correcting bad posture and the physical problems that result can be accomplished in two ways:

1. The first is by eliminating as much “bad” stress from your body as possible. “Bad” stress includes all the factors, habits, or stresses that cause the body to deviate from it’s structural center. “Bad” stress can result from a poorly adjusted workstation at work, from not having your seat adjusted correctly in your car, or even from carrying too much weight around in a heavy purse or  backpack.

2. The second is by applying “good” stress on the body in an effort to move your posture back toward your center of balance. This is accomplished through a series of exercises, stretches,  chiropractic adjustments People of all ages benefit from chiropractic adjustments. Change  your physical environment, design it to help correct your postural patterns. Getting your body back to its center of balance by improving your posture is critically important to improving how you move and feel.

3. The most important thing you can do is sit as little as possible.