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Posture
Principles
1st Posture Principle
Posture Is How You Balance Your Body
If you don't balance, you fall down! Our bodies would
fall forward without muscles pulling us back. We use
our muscles reflexively to balance when we sit, stand,
sleep, or work. In order for us to balance, our brain
integrates information from three sources to know where
the body is in space.
· The eyes: We see what is level.
· The ears: The inner ear tells the brain where
each ear is in relation to the other ear.
· The muscles and joints: We feel balanced (or
unbalanced) based upon information sent from the muscles
and joints (proprioception). The brain assumes we are
balanced when we sense equal stress on both sides of
the body.
When there is an injury, the body will move differently
to avoid pain. Over time, the body will adapt. Even
if there is no continued pain, unbalanced patterns of
motion persist. The human body still MUST balance to
stand. So, the brain adapts and adopts new muscle and
joint positions.
We believe we are standing straight because our brain
is being told by our senses that we are balanced, even
though the mirror shows we are not.
2nd Posture Principle
The Human Body Is Designed To Move
It is much easier to walk for 30 minutes than to stand
perfectly still for 30 minutes. When we walk (or run)
we must balance our bodies. In order to balance we switch
back and forth between standing and shifting muscles.
· Standing muscles are the muscles we use to
hold the body up. Our body would fall forward without
muscles pulling us back and keeping us balanced. Whether
we are standing or sitting we use standing muscles to
balance.
· Shifting muscles are the muscles we use to
change (or shift position). Standing and shifting muscles
work together to balance the body in motion.
During walking, we use:
STANDING muscles to stand on one foot, and then SHIFTING
muscles to shift to the other foot.
Standing or sitting still primarily works the standing
muscles, causing these muscles to fatigue with time.
However, when we walk we alternate between using standing
and shifting muscles. This allows each set of muscles
a moment of rest, reducing fatigue.
3rd Posture Principle
Posture, Motion, & Balance Depend on the Bones,
Ligaments, Muscles, & Nerves
· Bones support the body's structure. Bones connect
to other bones at the joints.
· Ligaments connect the bones at joints.
· Muscles move bones at the joints when they
shorten (or contract).
Muscles can only pull, like a rope, to create motion
in a direction. A muscle creating motion in a direction
is called the AGONIST. Every muscle has an opposite
partner that pulls the joint in the opposite direction
and returns the joint to its starting position. This
opposing muscle is the ANTAGONIST.
For example, to bend your elbow, your biceps contract.
To straighten it, your triceps contract. To lengthen,
or push, a muscle must be pulled longer by its partner's
contraction. Each muscle in a pair of muscles pulls
a joint in the opposite direction.
Note: If one muscle in a pair is used more and one
is used less, then the underused muscle weakens and
the over used muscles become overly strong and tight.
There are also muscles called SYNERGISTS, which help
out a motion, but are not the main mover. A synergist,
or helper muscle, assists the main muscle in moving
the joint. For example, the forearm muscles mostly control
the wrist and hand, but they also help the elbow to
bend.
Lastly, there are STABILIZERS. These are muscles that
hold other joints. When you bend your arm to lift a
gallon of milk, your bicep is the main, or agonist,
muscle, but the shoulder muscles have to keep the shoulder
still as well.
Summary: The agonist is the main muscle
which bends the joint, the opposing antagonist muscle
straightens the joint, the synergist helper muscles
lend a hand, and the stabilizers keep it all steady.
Nerves control the muscles with messages from the brain.
The body moves in patterns. Muscles work in specific
patterns to control how motion occurs. However, the
brain thinks in terms of whole motions, not specific
muscles.
4th Posture Principle
The Body Learns What You Teach It
Pain teaches the body to move differently. If it hurts
to move, the body will adapt and move in a way to avoid
pain. The body moves in Patterns of Motion which adapt
to each individual's BodyType, history of injuries &
daily habits.
· LIGAMENTS stretch in the direction they are
stretched.
· MUSCLES that are used get stronger in the way
they are used. Unused muscles get weaker.
· NERVES develop muscle memory, reinforcing a
pattern of motion.
Posture and body motion depend on an interdependent
chain of muscles, bones and joints. In this chain, body
motion follows the path of least resistance. The most
flexible (or least restricted) joint moves first. The
least flexible (or tightest) joint moves last. Because
the tightest link in a chain is the last to move, it
limits motion the most. The muscles, bones, and ligaments
integrate to control body motion.
The body's motion patterns are like a folded piece of
paper that continues to fold at a crease because the
fibers have been bent in a pattern. Similarly, the muscles,
ligaments and nerves change as they adapt to moving
the body in a pattern of motion. Strong muscles lift
more. Weak ligaments stretch more. The body posture
adapts, creating a postural change, or distortion. Distortions
are seen when looking at:
· Posture: How people stand
· Gait: How people walk
Over time, adaptive patterns of body motion cause increased
body stress and breakdown.
INJURIES
When injuries occur, pain and discomfort often will
follow. The body adapts as an individual adjusts how
they move so as not to irritate the pain. We then compensate
for weak muscles by learning to substitute new motion
patterns. Unfortunately, this increases joint stress
and strain. Thus begins the Pain Cycle.
“It hurts when I move like that, but I feel okay
if I move like this.”
The pain goes away, but the changed pattern of motion
doesn't.
HABITS
Our habits are what we do. Practice makes permanent.
Muscles strengthen with use (and weaken when neglected),
the body changes with what we habitually do.
· If you sleep on your stomach with your head
turned to the right, when standing you will find you
head does not turn as easily to the left.
· When you prop a phone under your neck while
talking on the phone your neck twists to that side.
· When driving or sitting in front of a computer,
day after day, the body folds forward in a slump.
Our good and bad habits shape our bodies, our posture,
and our patterns of motion. We adapt to doing whatever
we do repeatedly.
5th Posture Principle
The Body Will Adapt To Posture & Motion Changes
Over time, the stress of unbalanced adaptive posture
and motion results in muscle imbalance and joint wear.
This begins a vicious cycle of unbalanced motion -
causing breakdown - causing more unbalanced motion.
Chronic poor posture results in posture adaptation
and constant muscle and joint stress. Poor posture
and excessive sitting over-strengthens the over-used
Standing muscles and weakens the underused Shifting
muscles. Because the body must balance, and because
loose joint moves before a stiff joint, the chain
of the body's motion follows the path of least resistance.
This is why, over time, posture worsens and body stress
increases as the body gets better at moving with adaptive
posture & body motion patterns. Poor posture and
motion patterns cause muscle imbalance, joint stress
and more poor motion.
Changes in posture & motion cause real physical
change and breakdown in the body. Muscles become chronically
tight. Ligaments stretch. Joints wear.
Ultimately, the chronic muscle spasm, joint damage
(arthritis/DJD) and recurring injuries result from
years of constant muscle and joint stress.
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