The Power of Posture

Posture is powerful. It can adapt to any sport or occupation. It can lengthen you, shorten you, widen you or narrow you. It can provide nourishment for your spinal discs, or compress them into degeneration. It can cause unremitting agony or alleviate the most chronic pain conditions imaginable. It can make the difference in an exhilarating, effortless ski run down the fall line. It can take away your edge in the last leg of a triathlon. It can give you the beautiful carriage of a dancer or cause a Dowager’s hump in your later years.

What gives posture this power?

By definition (Stedman’s Medical Dictionary) posture is “the position of the limbs or carriage of the body as a whole.” “Static posture” is the position of the body at rest, sitting, standing or lying. “Dynamic posture” is the maintenance of the instantaneous axis of rotation of any/all working joints in any spatial or temporal relationship.” Regardless of the position you are in or how fast you are moving, your joints should always maintain optimal working relationships.

Your posture today is a reflection of everything you have ever done to and with your body. How you align your joints one on top of the other determines their wear and tear status. If you are a drywall installer, your posture will reflect this. If you have nursed several babies one soon after the other, your neck muscles and possibly your shoulders will tell the tale. Dentists, anaesthesiologists and computer operators often share an array of symptoms related to their occupational postures.

If you or someone you know is suffering from a chronic pain syndrome arising from poor posture, call the office to book a session with one of our Personal Trainers. They will provide the tools to improve and become more aware of your posture. It will make a remarkable difference in your game!