What's Your Posture Got To Do With Your Pain?

"Good" posture requires muscles to function according to their design, from head to toe.

"Bad" posture is a deterioriation in the left-to-right and front-to-back harmonius relationship of the muscles and joints.

Pain is a symptom of postural misalignment and muscular dysfunction.

Muscle function and posture can both be restored, regardless of age, by providing the muscles with the necessary stimulus.

Friday, 26 January 2007

Simple Posture Imbalance Test

Here is a very quick test you can do yourself to notice if you have posture imbalances - expanded from an earlier post.

Kick off your shoes and stand up on a hard, level floor if possible. Relax your hands by your sides while relaxing and breathing from your abdomen.

Now close your eyes and pay attention to your balance and where your weight distribution is located on your feet. Notice:
  • Is there more weight on the left or right foot
  • Does the weight bare on the inside or outside of your feet
  • Are you back on your heels or on the balls of your feet

When you've noted all this, you can of course open your eyes.

Now, take a look at your feet. Do they both point in the same direction? If not, do they point at different angles?

If you're like 99% of the population, you noticed that your weight distribution was a little uneven (or maybe a lot uneven!) and that your feet point in different directions.

So what to do about it?

The first thing is to put your feet straight and only hip width apart (4-5" or 10cm). Keep your stomach relaxed and continue to breathe from your abdomen. Now do the following:
  • Pinch your shoulder blades together - moving them down and back - and release. Repeat X30
  • Make BIG circles with your shoulders forwards. Repeat X30 and X30 Backwards
  • Now squeeze and release your bum (or butt) cheeks. Repeat X60
When you've finished these, close your eyes and recheck you balance and weight distribution. ALso notice if you feel your posture has changed.

If you do notice changes to your posture and weight distribution there is a lesson here:

THE BODY WORKS AS A UNIT

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