…Is a phrase I hear every working day at The Osteopathy Centre. Even at social events when people learn that I am an osteopath, they stand up straighter as they think I might judge them badly for slouching.
What is good posture, is good or indeed bad posture a real thing or has society misunderstood posture and turned it in to a means of health or social judgement?
Posture is an construct that has been judged, for about five hundred years starting in the military teaching recruits how to stand to wield their weapons. It was brought in to the public realm in the Victorian era and has remained at the forefront of our minds ever since. It may be perceived that one is a higher achiever or a better communicator if ones posture is ‘better’
The concept of ‘good posture’ that most of my patients have, is based upon the upright, shoulders back, chest out, tummy in position -in other words, standing to attention . This may look more appealing than a slouching, slumped stance but I argue that constantly maintaining a ‘good posture’ would be as detrimental as always being slumped or leaning. It would also be very hard work to keep up.
In the world of osteopathy we have some cornerstone principles, one of them being: Structure & function are mutually interrelated. As such, If the structure is sound it will function well and if function is good, structural integrity will be maintained.
Try standing or indeed sitting up with ‘good posture’ and then try going about your daily tasks in that position. It’s not easy!
The perception of ‘good posture’ based upon how we appear, (the aesthetic) rather than considering how we function is an unsound idea that is unfortunately very pervasive in modern society. For most of us, the aesthetic is hard to achieve & maintain.
If instead we turn this around and look at how we function, we can learn to adapt our stance to the specific task we need to achieve. A softer more dynamic stance enables us to complete tasks with less strain. This was indeed the very first lesson I learnt in the technique class when I started my Osteopathy degree. If I’ve not already shown you this stance at The Osteopathy Centre in Whetstone, Woodford or an E17 Home visit then I will be happy to do so. It’s very simple and easy to slot in to daily use.
Ultimately good posture comes down to always adapting ones position throughout the task to best achieve the result with minimal physical detriment.
Ongoing poor habit is the greatest driver of postural failure. If one constantly adopts the same posture, weather slumping or indeed upright one will inevitably experience health issues. Trying to use a broad repertoire of positions and postures throughout tasks is much healthier and this can be aided by maintaining a regular exercise and stretching regime. Punctuating your day with little movements and stretches is a great way to keep your structure functioning well.
Unless you are standing guard outside of a palace there is little need for you to stand bolt upright.
Do be aware of your posture but don’t only fixate upon the look. Concentrate also upon how you function. Both elements together will help you to maintain health.
* As I started writing this blog I found a fantastic article ‘Upright and uptight: the invention of posture’ written by Tom Jesson. Tom has succinctly written a brief history of our obsession with posture which is an interesting eight minute read which you can find by clicking on this link
If your back or posture goes out more often than you do, call the osteopathy centre.