[Physioguy]

Oh boy,

Posture is one of those things that we always assess, but ultimately posture is a result of your habitual positions and activities, including resting activities, your flexibility, your strength/stability, gravity, etc. You've heard the phrase "you are what you eat"? Well, a similar saying for posture could be "You are what you do."

I know Vickie has talked about postural alignment in the past, so I'm hoping she will pop in.

In the textbooks, there is an "ideal" posture, where you look at where certain anatomical reference points line up. With regard to the spine, it should have three curves, looking like a shallow "S" when seen from the side. This is considered a neutral posture, and places the least amount of stress on the spine, as the stress is spread out around the column.

Of course, I have mentioned that many things affect posture. If we tend to slouch, the body basically succumbs to gravity, and typically the anterior (front) structures of the body tighten. The head drifts forward, the front neck muscles become tight, the chest muscles tighten, the shoulders round forward, the arms internally rotate. As we get older, the abdominal musculature tends to weaken, and, maybe combined with a little spare tire, stomach protrudes, and the low back becomes hyperarched. The hip flexors, if tight from too much sitting and lack of exercise, are so strong, they literally can "pull" the pelvis into a forward tilted position, which also contributes to an arched lower back.

You are correct that good posture may feel "military." Correct "textbook" posture, is so rare, that those people tend to stand out.

Here's the thing - I have basically stopped giving my clients traditional "posture correction" exercises. I have found that I don't get success by getting the client to "think" about their posture. I get better results by prescribing exercises which drive the body regions where I think they need to go, and then the good posture basically develops naturally.

I'll stop here, and wait to hear others' thoughts on the subject.