Posture…just how important is it?

Posture ranks at the top of the list when talking about strength and performance. It is as important as eating, exercising and getting a good night’s sleep.

Without good posture, an athlete can’t be completely physically fit. Surprised? Well, you’re not alone.

The importance of posture and how to correct it in a strength and fitness program is often overlooked. In fact, the benefits of good posture may be among the best kept secrets of the current strength and performance movement.

Good Posture is Good Health
Good posture means that your bones are properly aligned and that your muscles, joints and ligaments are working as nature intended. This in turn means that your internal organs are in the right positions and can function at peak efficiency.
The brain grows from movement; therefore, good posture contributes to the normal functioning of the nervous system.
Without good posture, your overall health and total efficiency may be compromised.
Since the long-term effects of poor posture can affect bodily systems (such as digestion, elimination, breathing, muscles, joints and ligaments), a person who has poor posture may often be tired or unable to work efficiently or move properly.

Poor Posture – How Does it Happen?

A common belief is that poor posture develops as a result of accidents, falls, environmental factors or bad habits.

This information is false and brutally incomplete.

There are two main causes (excluding medical conditions) that can be the culprits of poor posture: poor integration of primitive reflexes and eye muscle asymmetry before the age of 16 1/2;.

Primitive reflexes are automatic movements that are directed from the brainstem and require no cortical involvement (thought). They are needed for survival and for the development and integration of movements in the early months of life. We start developing our posture from the moment we are born. There are 72 movements that an infant needs to fully integrate so that they can be replaced by voluntary motor skills and upright posture. This integration is crucial for the development of the frontal lobe. As more sophisticated centers of the brain begin to mature, these primitive reflexes become a nuisance and must be abated in order for proper neurological organization of the brain to develop.

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Another contribution to poor posture is eye tracking issues that take place prior to the age of 16 1/2.  As described in Delpeche’s law, asymmetries observed in the growth period, such as with a diverging eye in a child, lead to asymmetries of pressure on the lower limbs which can potentially lead to a leg length discrepancy.

Poor Posture & Pain
A lifetime of poor posture can start a progression of symptoms such as:
– Fatigue: With poor posture, the muscles have to work extra hard just to hold you up. You waste energy just moving, leaving you without the extra energy you need to feel good.
– Tight, achy muscles in the neck, back, arms and legs: By this stage, there may be a change in your muscles and ligaments and you may have a stiff and tight painful feeling. More than 80% of neck and back problems are the result of tight and achy muscles brought on by years of bad posture.
– Joint stiffness and pain: You may be at risk for “wear and tear” arthritis, or what is termed degenerative osteoarthritis. Poor posture and limited mobility increase the likelihood of this condition in later years.

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