Posture Perfect

Straight news on not slouching.

Prevention Rx
By Kate Nolan

What is the deal with posture? Slouching comes naturally, but is it good for you? Is standing at rigid military attention better? Starting in childhood, you hear various versions of, “Stand up straight, or your spine will freeze that way!”

My spine hasn’t solidified, so I assume my posture is okay. But a Scottsdale expert suggests otherwise. Poor posture is far more common than good posture, and can lead to serious health problems, says Paige Warren, who runs Posture Simple, a Valley service that educates groups about posture, evaluates individual’s posture and provides personalized regimens for improving it.

“Most people think they have no posture issues until it’s pointed out to them,” Warren says. “I begin evaluations by asking people which one does their posture resemble, Donald Duck or the Pink Panther?”

People choose one or the other and then she tells them the bad news. Both of the famed cartoon characters have “posture deviations.” Donald endures a sway back, and the cat, a flat back.

You may want to ask “So what?” but the National Institutes of Health says poor posture is among the most common sources of body pain and impaired physical performance.

Good posture aligns bones and joints so muscles function right, reduces the wear on joint surfaces that can cause arthritis and prevents strain and fatigue on muscles. It can slow the progress of osteoporosis (bone deterioration) and protects organs from being damaged by the disease’s spinal curvature.

“As the spine gets more constricted, the organs lose their space in the abdomen, and they actually protrude into a big pot belly,” according to Scottsdale physician Kathleen Fry. “This limits GI (gastro-intestinal) function.”

The worst problem with osteoporosis is pain from vertebral fractures, for which drugs are the only treatment, says Fry, a diplomat to the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and former president of the American Holistic Medical Association.

Some signs of poor posture are obvious: shallow breathing, rounded shoulders, head thrusted forward, slouching, one hip higher than the other and knees angled in or out.

But what can you do about it? Posture specialist Warren, a former physical trainer, starts with a posture assessment, delving into clients’ past and present to find out what activities have influenced the muscles. She finds herself addressing specific occupations.

Most typical are desk jobs and driving, which result in upper back pain after prolonged sitting has hunched the shoulders and distorted the spine’s three natural curves. High heels and heavy briefcases also can figure into the equation. Warren puts together exercise plans that balance the strength of the muscle sets that work in opposition to keep the spine upright and ensure proper movement. She also works on balance—another casualty of bad posture—and getting people to add movement to their sedentary days, like standing up every half hour. The sessions are designed to establish the simple-sounding characteristics of good posture.

What is good posture? It’s not slouching. It’s not military style. Warner’s formula: With your joints relaxed, keep the ankles in line with the knees, the knees in line with the hips, the hips in line with the shoulders and the shoulders in line with the ears. The rest of the lesson involves listening to your body.

“The human body will do whatever it can to stay upright,” Warren says.