All4Fitness article //

Posture And It's Role In Wellbeing

Posture is a key indicator when considering the health status of individuals and has two key fundamentals: Static posture , the ability to maintain optimal body & joint position over sustained periods, and Dynamic posture , the ability to maintain joint mobility and function whilst moving or heavy lifting in different planes of motion.

Among the myriad of systems that make up the human body, your muscles have a huge influence on postural conditioning. It is important for any fitness enthusiast, personal trainer or athlete to have a basic understanding on the role your muscles play and how muscle balance affects your posture.

Tonic or "Stabiliser" muscles are deep and closest to the joints. These muscles are small and are responsible for keeping your joints in line and functioning properly. Your spine is supported by dozens of tiny muscles that hold it together and keep it functioning optimally.

Phasic or "Movement" muscles are your larger muscles responsible for quick, explosive movements and heavy lifting. An example of phasic muscles would be your "Lats" (Latissimus Dorsi), muscles on your back which give you the much sought after V shape.

Balance is absolutely vital between these two muscle systems. With modern day training methods and high intensity classes that tend to be phasic-dominant, it is all too common to see the conditioning and coordination of the tonic system get left behind. This is where degeneration, injury and poor posture come into play. On the other side of the coin, neglect and stressful lifestyles can also contribute to poor posture.

Here's a picture of one of my clients presenting current postural faults. Picture 1 shows her on her first assessment. The second picture was taken about 30mins later after some adjustments. Not perfect but I swear she must've gained two inches in height!

I come across a range of common postural faults among a range of different clients. Although there are differing reasons for their condition, common symptoms are excessive forward head posture, rounded upper back and forward shoulders. The lower back, hips, knees and ankles also show symptoms which overload the joints.