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Is Posture that Important?

Yes! People have been making a big deal about “posture” for centuries. Remember those old television ads that show ladies walking around with text-books on their heads, mumbling “the rain in Spain…falls mainly…in the plain?” Why they were – and why are we still – making posture such a big deal?

Because… Excellent posture is not only beautiful to look at, but it also reflects self-confidence. This can be beneficial in any environment where you want to be more impressive, like at a job interview or on a first date! Improper posture causes misalignment in your spine, and this can put excessive stress and strain on muscles, joints and the supporting connective tissues.

Your chiropractor defines posture as: “The position of the human body relative to gravity.” Relative to gravity is important here, because this is the force that can cause the pain and damage related to improper postural positions.

Posture can be either dynamic or static, but both are important when it comes to your functional strength and stability. Dynamic posture is related to your body position while performing different activities like running or climbing, whereas static posture is more related to positions like sitting or standing.

Regardless of which type of posture you are talking about, one of the most important factors in good posture is the proper curvature of your spine. The spinal column is made up of 26 bones stacked one on top of another, combined to form 4 different postural curves from top to bottom: cervical, thoracic, lumbar and sacral.

One of the main functions of these curves is to allow for an adequate amount of shock absorption from above (gravity) and below (impact from feet striking the ground). If the curves are positioned properly, fewer injuries are likely to happen due to these forces. If the curves are too much or not enough, this can cause excessive compressive loads on the discs, joints, muscles and connective tissues of the spine.