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Newsletter  Fall 07: Feature: Posture


Posture: An often overlooked cause of injuries
Melanie Dugas, HBSc KIN, MScPT
Registered Physical Therapist (Athlete's Care - Yonge & Eglinton)

Sit up straight! Stand tall! We have all heard this before and likely we have tried to correct our position only to fall victim to gravity shortly afterwards. So why is good posture so important? Can our posture affect our current injuries or predispose us to future injuries? The answer is simply, YES!

Gravity is the invisible force that continually affects the way we hold our bodies while we are standing, sitting, moving or lying down. Good posture is when we hold ourselves in positions that place the least amount of strain on our muscles and ligaments during weight bearing activities. 

When we maintain proper posture we are able to use our muscles more efficiently thereby reducing muscle strains and fatigue.  Proper posture also reduces stress on our ligaments, decreases abnormal wearing and maintains the mobility of our joint surfaces. 

The first step to improving your posture is having an awareness of what proper posture should look like and how yours differs.

A simple way to improve you posture is to imagine you have a string on top of your head that is pulling your head towards to ceiling. Next, bring your chin in and keep your eyes looking in front of you.  Shoulder blades should be brought back, down & squeezed together.
 
Pull your belly button inwards towards your spine but do not tilt your pelvis. Finally, knees should be hip distance apart, facing forwards and the arches of your feet should be supported.  Your goal is to try to maintain this position for as long as you can. Do not get frustrated if you can not maintain this posture for long, awareness is the key and we all know that practice makes perfect!
 
Attempting this postural correction 2-3 times per day will not only decrease the effect of current injuries and help to prevent future injuries from occurring but it will also improve your overall appearance!