top of page
Writer's pictureErienne Blanchard

What is Perfect Posture? Movement!

Remember when you were a kid and everyone telling you that you needed to work on your posture? Was it hard to hold "perfect posture"? Any posture for a prolonged period of time is a bad thing! Even perfect posture!


Movement and the ability to move in and out of any posture is the key. We do need to be able to hold ourselves in better alignment: cheekbones over sternum, sternum over belly button, gentle arch in the low back, forward pressure on the pelvis (in sitting). This reduces the stress on any one set of muscles or ligaments. However, holding this posture for longer than 30 min or 1 hour can be painful too. Our bodies are designed for movement!


Gentleman sitting at a desk with a laptop hunched forward leaning on his hand concentrating

The best postures are ones we can move in and out of easily. We can slouch. We sit correctly. We can stand correctly. We can swayback in stance. As long as we can move in and out of every posture than we are doing just fine. We do not want to hold any posture for too long. The muscles become fatigued and then create "endurance deficits". What are endurance deficits? This is when the muscles becomes so fatigued that it cramps and causes pain usually with trigger points. This endurance issue becomes painful and starts to usually spread into pain in the neck and head (when it starts in the upper shoulders along the top). The longer the issue remains the more likely the pain spreads and stays. Prolonged postures are the culprit.

A woman sitting with two screens working on a spread sheet with good posture

What can I do to change this? My work requires that I sit at a desk? My work requires prolonged positions. The best thing we can do is get up and move. The research tells us that sitting is the new smoking for our cardiovascular system. We can reduce this risk greatly with 3 minutes of movement for every 30 min sitting. Meaning about every hour if you move 6-10 min of them, get up and use the restroom, go get water, use the printer on the other side of the room, you can reduce the pain from prolonged postures. We can also work on your desk set up to prevent repetitive injuries from multiple screens, alignment of the desk to chair, etc. A standing desk would be best to allow you to move into and out of different postures all day long.

A gentleman standing and do his work on a computer

The best posture is a moving posture throughout your day. If you are having difficulty with your work set up, chronic tension pain, and difficulty with changing postures, please call as I can help you return to more mobile movements.


Call or text 352-727-0472


2 views0 comments

コメント


bottom of page