‘Posture re-training’

OK, time for a rant!

Posture retraining, alignment, and functional movement is the new rage in the fitness industry. Although this is a great thing for the awareness of a growing problem there is always a problem when the masses get a hold of something that they think they can make money off with no accountability being held for actually fixing a problem. (there is no posture Degree or Association to minimise the standards of practitioners). There are literally millions of posture articles, YouTube videos and E-books telling you the secrets of great posture etc.

Again, this is wonderful that posture is being talked about so much and everyone now thinks about posture as being important, but not all the information being handed out is helpful or correct, and not all the information is consistent, and some of this information can be damaging or harmful to a person's posture or worse yet their structure. This creates issues for the people who actually need help.
These are some of the most common things I hear that a so called “expert” has told a patient of mine when they come into my practice.

• Myth 1
  • This is the way I was born; It's just the way I am.
  • Truth
    • Postural alignment is not in our genes. (DID you know We are born with a "C" shaped spine?)
    • As much as you'd like to blame your parents for your hunched shoulders  bowed legs, pronated feet, rounded upper back, or forward head, that argument just doesn't carry any weight.
    • Your postural alignment is a reflection of how you've moved throughout your life, the mechanical stress you have put on your body and the adaptations you have created, not your DNA.
• Myth 2
  • All you need to do to improve your posture is strengthen your core.
  • Truth
    • Your core is a part of your posture; however your body is a complex machine that has multiple levers, pulleys and hinges of different variations that work in a 3 dimensional world.
    • Strengthening your core will strengthen or "lock in" your current postural alignment – which (if you are reading this) is probably not very good. Most people with poor posture and who are looking at core strengthening as a way to improve their posture have some pelvic shifting, Thoracic kyphosis, rib cage compression and shoulder rounding, So… strengthening these individual's core will only cause these imbalances to get worse.
    • The most important thing about postural alignment is placing your joints into a neutral position where the muscles can act together in the most efficient fashion.
    • Core strengthening is best left for after you have good postural alignment, not before. Stand before you walk, walk before you run!
• Myth 3
  • Everyone has a different natural posture.
  • Truth
    • Yes, almost everyone you look at around you probably looks much different posturally from each other, but that does not mean their posture is designed to be different. We all share the same bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, and nerves and they are designed to align themselves in the same way. The differences you see in people's postures are environmental (how they use their bodies) not genetic. ​

• Myth 4
  • If something is "bad" the opposite must be "good"
  • Truth
    • Research and many experts have been talking about the dangers of valgus knees and medially rotated femurs and how that increases the chance of an ACL tear. I am not saying that this is incorrect; however many of these experts then reason that if valgus and medial rotation is bad, varus and external rotation must be good. This is in fact a false dilemma...apparently many posture experts skipped philosophy class! Knees that are vertically aligned with the ankles and hips and that point straight ahead are natural and function best and any misalignment can and will cause inefficiency in movement, tissue damage, and pain eventually. ​(if you bend a coat hanger to the right and that is wrong do you bend it all the way over to the left to make it right?)

 

• Myth 5
  • To align your pelvis, pull your stomach in and tuck your butt under.
  • Truth
    • This may be correct; however if your pelvis is not tilted forward into an anterior tilt with no other abnormalities, then yes this idea might make sense. Postural alignment should come naturally and your stomach should be relaxed. What happens if you give this advice to someone whose pelvis is already tilted backwards into a posterior tilt? You make their posture even worse and greatly increase the chance of low back, knee ankle or neck injury, among other things.
• Myth 6
  •  Good posture means squeezing your shoulders blades.
  • Truth
    • Good posture means your shoulders are npt back or forward but in the correct position. If you are consciously pulling your shoulders back  you'll create excessive fatigue in your upper back muscles which can cause more pain. Your shoulders should be in a non contracted state when standing or sitting and naturally in place. If you have to pull your shoulders back to get them aligned with your hips, you need to address the postural imbalances you have throughout the rest of your body, and then your shoulders will be in place naturally without effort. Any tightening of muscles will lead to poor movement patters and can lead to pain and injury. 
•  Myth 7
  • Thinking about your posture is enough.
  • Truth
    • Our posture is a learned skill it is based on the unconscious competence quadrant of skill acquisition of which muscle memory is a large part. Thinking about your posture is not enough to correct your imbalances and even if you could, what happens to your posture when you get distracted?

 

• Myth 8
  • I can change my posture overnight
  • Truth
    • Your bad posture did not happen overnight so will not be fixed that way. 
• Myth 9
  • When standing your knees should be slightly bent.
  • ​Truth
    • Your knees should be straight when standing relaxed, not bent. Keeping your knees bent while standing increases the pressure on meniscus of the knees and patellar tendon and can cause pain. Hyperextending your knees (locking your knees) by tightening your quads is also stressful to your knees and can create damage to the underside of your patella (kneecap). ​​​

 
If you have heard these myths please disregard them and the “expert” who gave them to you!
 
Sean Yates | Physiotherapist | Doctor of Physiotherapy | Bachelor of Exercise Science |
ASCA level 1 | AWF Level 1 coach | Functional Patterns Level 1, 2, 3 | Human Biomechanics Specialist | Dry Needling | Clinical Pilates Level 1, 2, 3 | APA sports Level 1 | Watson Headache Level 1 | IASTM - Smart Tools Instructor |