Improve your Posture with Pilates
Phillipa Butler
Make Midlife the Time of your Life with Physiotherapist-led Pilates and Yoga. Beat Pain and get Back to Active. Creator of Moving Through Menopause Podcast and engaging presenter for your Corporate Wellness Event.
I am passionate about movement, this is not new news! I am particularly interested in posture and alignment and the contribution it makes to pain and dysfunction. I see so many people who have pain and problems with the neck and shoulders and I am always at great pains to point out the ideal alignment for the neck during my Bone Healthy Pilates Classes.
A common postural defect is called the Upper Crossed Syndrome which describes a particular set of circumstances; a combination of some weak, or inhibited muscles and some tight, or overactive muscles in and around the neck and shoulders. (First described by Professor Vladimir Janda in 1979)
But why does this happen? As with most anomalies it is rarely one thing but more likely a combination of factors including; the overall effects of gravity on posture, our increased reliance on handheld technology and screens, our increasingly sedentary lifestyle, long days behind a desk or driving. I also feel that age related visual deterioration and use of bifocal or varifocal lenses goes a long way to contribute to this posture.
Consider the effects of posture on the apparent weight of the head
Gravity is constantly pressing down on us and the more forward the head comes to lie this effectively increases the weight of the head. The muscles have to work so much harder as a result and this goes some way to explain why this posture can provoke pain and overactivity of the muscles which are fighting against this postural presentation.
In the context of menopause it is worth noting that a fairly reliable predictor for the likelihood of spinal compression fracture is the occiput /wall test. When we stand against a wall and measure the distance of the occiput (a bony protuberance at the base of the skull) from the wall. A distance of greater than 7cm can predict the likelihood of a thoracic vertebral fracture with high accuracy.
So what can we do?
If I said exercises could help would you be surprised?
The general principles are to stretch and release tight/overactive muscles and reeducate and strengthen weakened/inhibited muscles
I am also very keen that when working out core musculature during pilates that we are not fuelling this postural set with crunches and curls and that if we do for whatever reason lift the head away from the ground that the deep neck flexors are activated to support the cervical lordosis from the front.
This all sounds very technical…..because it is. Hence the value of working with a Physiotherapist to ensure you are gaining the most benefit from the exercises that you do and not reinforcing this unhelpful postural presentation.