Straighten Up
                     STRAIGHTEN 
UP
http://www.virtualphysicaltherapists.com/
Posture…something that we simply take for granted. Yet, we notice when one exhibits 
good posture and automatically associate regality, confidence, strength, and 
character. We use the word “spineless” to describe someone of weak character and 
describe one of strong character as having a “backbone”.
Posture affects our mood, energy level, bones, muscles, joints, lung capacity, digestive 
system, circulation, stress levels, voice volume/resonance, and our overall health.
A research study done by Harvard Business School found that exhibiting a powerful 
posture (chest elevated), demonstrated a 20% increase in testosterone and 25% 
decrease in cortisol. Conversely, those that slouched, had a 10% decrease in 
testosterone and 15% increase in cortisol, which translates to low self-confidence and 
high stress.
Another study done by San Francisco State University found that walking with a 
slouched or despondent body posture lead to feelings of depression and 
decreased energy, but those feelings were reversed by walking in a more upright 
position. Students were instructed to walk down the hallway in a slouched 
position and then skip down the hallway. The students were asked to rate their 
subjective mood and energy levels – slouched walking decreased, while skipping 
increased both their mood and energy.
Poor posture is the root cause of many aches and pains, and we are simply 
unaware of the connection. We sit for hours in slouched positions looking at our 
smart devices and have no idea why we have tension headaches (occipital 
neuralgia), knots in our upper traps, neck stiffness and low back pain.
Mechanical pain is caused by abnormal stress on tissue, such as when you bend your 
finger all the way back to end range. The pain lets you know to move out of that 
position. But poor posture gradually brings you to end range, so the symptoms do not 
start immediately. That headache that you get when working at your computer, 
stiffness getting out of your chair after you have been sitting for a prolonged time 
period, knots in your upper trap that you have been blaming on stress…may be 
caused by poor posture!
WHAT IS GOOD 
POSTURE?
Proper alignment is when your ear 
is over your shoulder, and you can 
visualize a plumb line going 
through the tip of the shoulder, to 
the center of the hip and ankle 
joint and slightly behind the knee 
joint.
With this ideal alignment, the body weight is balanced over the spine and lower 
extremity joints requiring minimum muscular effort. This position evenly distributes 
pressure on the discs, creating an inward curve in your neck, known as a lordosis, 
followed by an outward curve in your upper back “kyphosis” and an inward curve again 
in your low back “lordosis”. In sitting you want to assure that you maintain an inner 
curve in your lower back. You can do this by using a lumbar roll.
Proper alignment is when your ear is over your shoulder, and you can visualize a plumb 
line going through the tip of the shoulder, to the center of the hip and ankle joint and 
slightly behind the knee joint. With this ideal alignment, the body weight is balanced 
over the spine and lower extremity joints requiring minimum muscular effort. This 
position evenly distributes pressure on the discs, creating an inward curve in your neck, 
known as a lordosis, followed by an outward curve in your upper back “kyphosis” and 
an inward curve again in your low back “lordosis”. In sitting you want to assure that you 
maintain an inner curve in your lower back. You can do this by using a lumbar roll.
Occipital Neuralgia
When performing visual tasks, such as using a computer, smart device or reading a 
book, you move our head forward (protraction) to see better. This forward head 
position puts undue stress on your upper cervical spine, that can result in headaches, 
stiffness and muscles spasms around your neck, especially if you have had any 
previous trauma to your neck. Suboccipital headaches or occipital neuralgia, located 
in the back of your head (suboccipital region) and radiate up and around, like a 
Ramshorn to your temples. To eliminate the suboccipital headache and muscle 
spasms, the cause or faulty posture must be corrected.
Stiffness Getting Out of a Chair
Do you ever have trouble straightening up or getting out of a chair, after you have been 
sitting for prolonged period? This stiffness is your body giving you a warning sign. Poor 
sitting posture has stressed soft tissue beyond its normal resting place. Once you take a few 
steps you will be able to correct, but if you continue to stress this same tissue it will become 
damaged. Slouched posture by itself is not a bad thing. The body is supposed to move and 
be in different positions. The problem is in the length of time that you are in that position. 
One analysis of 18 studies found that those who sat for the longest periods of time were 
twice as likely to have diabetes or heart disease, compared to those who sat the least. An 
earlier study, published in 2009, also highlighted evidence that linked sitting with 
biomarkers of poor metabolic health, correlates with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, 
heart disease, and other prevalent chronic health problems—even if you exercise regularly. 
Walking more, using a lumbar roll whenever you sit, and intermittent movements have 
been found to have the greatest benefit in counteracting the ill effects of prolonged sitting.
VIRTUAL 
PHYSICAL 
THERAPISTS
[email protected]
HTTP://WWW.VIRTUALPHYSICALTHERAPISTS.COM/
9