Does Good Posture Really Matter?

There will always be contrarians.

A number of social media posters like to claim that good posture is overrated and doesn't really matter.

They go so far as to demonstrate the weight they can lift with a rounded back and say that "all postures are good postures."

Never one to assume I have all the answers, I explore those options but always come back to acknowledging that we have clients who come in with some kind of pain, we improve their alignment, and the pain goes away.

Furthermore, we've never caused pain by improving someone's alignment.

Until proven otherwise, I still believe alignment matters.

Alignment vs posture

When you think of "posture," you might think of a soldier stiffly standing at attention.

I prefer to think in terms of alignment--maintaining your joints in their optimal position.

It causes less wear and tear on the joints and you move more efficiently, with greater coordination.

Not only do you have more energy and move better, your mood improves!

Faulty alignment leads to joint pain, respiratory issues, poor sports performance, digestive problems, and muscle fatigue, —issues that can worsen in time if not corrected.

What is good alignment?

Let's start from the ground up...

✔️ Feet are shoulder width apart, pointed straight ahead, with weight evenly on both

✔️ Knees are unlocked and aimed straight ahead.

✔️ The pelvis is "neutral." If you were wearing a belt, it would be level all the way around, not lower in the front.

✔️ The sternum is lifted. Your shoulder blade edges shouldn't be visible from behind. One cue is that your palms should face your sides. If they face behind you when you're standing, your shoulders are rounded forward. Shoulders should be relaxed down from your ears.

✔️ The cuff of your ear should line up with the center of the top of your shoulder. There should be a straight line down from the cuff of your ear, center of the shoulder, hip, and outside of the ankle.

✔️ The chin should be neutral, not tipped down. The head should sit balanced on the body such that no neck muscles are getting stretched or tight. The muscles' job is to move the neck, not hold onto it!

✔️ There should be a little curve in your low back, upper back, and neck. Most people have too much in the back and too little in the neck.

Sound like a lot to think about?

This is where a good strength training program comes in. Strength training addresses the muscle imbalances that are the cause--or effect--of faulty alignment.

After strengthening your weak links and working on better movement patterns, you naturally maintain good alignment.

What about "posture correctors'?

You have them built in. 😉

Better to rely on your muscles than use an assistive device to do the work for you.

We've seen some amazing transformations in people who committed to getting stronger and practicing a little more awareness.

It takes a time to make changes but being pain-free is worth it!