Have you ever noticed the curious phenomenon that as you grow up, at one point you actually start growing down? 

If you’ve reached your mid-fifties or later, go ahead, measure yourself. Chances are you’ll discover something peculiar. You’ve shrunk. Perhaps just half an inch, perhaps an inch, perhaps even more. So, what’s the big deal? You’ve always wanted to drop a size or two, right? Well, you got it.

Unless you take steps to reverse this trend, by the time you reach your 70s, you’ll likely have lost 2-3 inches in height.  While shrinking an inch or two in itself is nothing to worry about, the processes that cause the reduction in size are something you should care about. Two main processes are involved in this loss of height.

 Firstly, as you age, the discs between your vertebrae lose moisture and dry out. Healthy discs act as shock absorbers for the spine and keep the spine flexible. When they dry out, they become less supple and provide less of a cushioning effect. Worse, drier discs change shape and become flatter and thinner, making them more prone to injury and to the kind of degenerative changes that may lead to chronic back pain down the road.

 The other huge factor in the shrinking equation is the age-related deterioration of posture, which begins to set in as early as age 25. At that point, the soft tissues begin to weaken and give in to the relentless pull of gravity. For most people, the first visible signs of poor posture back support is a forward head and rounded shoulders.

And here is the bad news: if you don’t start doing corrective posture exercises and take other steps to correct posture, rounded shoulders and forward head posture will gradually develop into a hunched back, a.k.a. hyperkyphosis. Believe us, you don’t want that. Not only is that kind of posture bad from an esthetic point of view (it makes you look a lot older), you set yourself up for a host of health problems down the road.        

Useful Resources:

Technorati Tags: back hunch, Bad Posture, Corrective Posture Exercises, Forward Head Posture, hunched back, hyperkyphosis, posture support brace, yoga for hyperkyphosis

The effects of bad posture go further than that, however. We’ve written elsewhere about the effects of one of the most common posture imbalances: forward head posture, which is the precursor of age-related dowager’s hump. However, there are many other ways in which poor posture affects your physical health.

One group of researchers, led by John Lennon, BM, MM. C. and Norman Shealy, M.D. put it this way:  “[We believe] that posture affects and moderates every physiologic function from breathing to hormonal production. Spinal pain, headache, mood, blood pressure, pulse, and lung capacity are among the functions most easily influenced by posture.
The most significant influences of posture are upon respiration, oxygenation, and sympathetic function. Ultimately, it appears that homeostasis and autonomic regulation are intimately connected with posture. The corollary of these observations is that many symptoms, including pain, may be moderated or eliminated by improved posture.” (See quote source below.)

Translation? Posture impacts all bodily functions, in particularly breathing and therefore whether or not the body’s cells get proper oxygen supply. Posture also affects the sympathetic function of the body, and thereby its ability to regulate its internal environment in response to outside changes.

To elaborate: The spinal cord is the central channel through which flow all the nerves of the central nervous system. The central nervous system, of course, is the central command center which coordinates the activity of all parts of the body.

The spinal cord houses the nerves, which carry messages between the brain and the rest of the body. The central nervous system is responsible for maintaining the homeostasis, or internal balance, of the body. Through the flow of nerve information back and forth, it monitors, detects, interprets, and responds to changes in the internal and external environment. The nervous system then responds by sending electrochemical impulses through nerves to muscles, glands, and other parts of the body needed to respond to changes in the external environment.

Osteopaths and chiropractors have told us for many years: structure impacts function.  Bad posture may impact the health of the body by hampering the function of the central nervous system—the proper flow of nerve information from the peripheral parts of the body to the brain. If the integrity of the spinal cord deteriorates due to poor posture, the integrity of the flow of nervous system information to the brain may be affected. Structure impacts function.

As the researchers further state: “Posture and normal physiology and function are interrelated. Abnormal posture is evident in patients with chronic pain-related conditions including backache, headache, and stress-related illnesses.”

The bottom line: Doctors of osteopathy and chiropractic have long maintained that structural imbalances put people at greater risk for functional imbalances, i.e. it increases the susceptibility to disease. The most common structural imbalance people face is bad posture.

The good news of course is that bad posture is also the structural imbalance over which you have the most control. The poor posture cascade can be reversed by taking steps to correct your posture.

Corrective posture exercises, posture support braces, and core strengthening activities are a great place to start—as is simply paying attention to your posture and bearing throughout the day.

Remember, bad posture is created moment by moment, predominantly by poor habits and weakened posture support muscles. Good posture is created moment by moment as well—by reversing your moment-to-moment posture habits and strengthening core posture support muscles, you will be able to gradually reshape and improve your posture.

Source: John Lennon, BM, MM, C. Norman Shealy, MD, Roger K. Cady, MD, William Matta, PhD., Richard Cox, PhD, and William F. Simpson, PhD, American Journal of Pain Management, Vol. 4, No. 1, January, 1994

Download Corrective Posture Exercise video for increased posture support strength:

Click here to buy Posture Strength

Great Posture Brace to Reverse Forward Posture and Rounded Shoulders:

Click here to buy Body Rite Posture Pleaser

Technorati Tags: Bad Posture, Corrective Posture Exercises, Forward Head Posture, improve posture, poor posture

Concerned about developing an unflattering curvature in your spine as you get older? Many people find that they become increasingly hunched over as they get older. Even if they try to stand straight, they find themselves slumping back again after a short while.

If this describes you, you might consider wearing a posture brace throughout the day, and also  taking up an exercise routine to strengthen your posture support muscles, reverse bad posture, and prevent back pain. According to one recent study, yoga might offer a way to relieve or even reverse bad posture and the early stages of hunchback, a common source of back pain.

Conducted by researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles and published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, the study aimed to determine whether yogic corrective posture exercises could reduce hyperkyphosis or kyphosis.

Kyphosis, or in common terms: hunchback, is the forward rounding of the upper back. A slight rounding is normal, but severe rounding–more than 40 to 45 degrees–is termed hyperkyphosis in medical language.

Not all people who develop hyperkyphosis appear to have a hunchback. Your back may appear normal, other than the pronounced slump. Whether you develop a hunchback or not, hyperkyphosis is a serious condition. It can occur for a variety of reasons: developmental problems, osteoporosis with vertebral compression fractures, spinal trauma, or degenerative diseases such as arthritis. Kyphosis doesn’t just prey on the elderly; it can affect otherwise healthy adults, adolescents, and even children.

While mild kyphosis may go unnoticed for years, as the condition worsens a whole slew of painful and even life-threatening symptoms sets in. Severe kyphosis often causes back pain, and it puts pressure on the lungs, strain on the nerves, and can damage tissues and other organs, causing pain and all sorts of problems.

Treatment for kyphosis will vary based on the cause of the curvature and its damaging effects.

Symptoms of kyphosis include:

• Fatigue
• Slouching posture or hunchback
• Spinal stiffness or tenderness
• Mild back pain

In the early stages or in the most mild cases, kyphosis may not produce noticeable symptoms.

Yoga Improves Bad Posture

The kyphosis study conducted by the researchers took 168 women and men age 60 and older, who had a kyphosis angle of 40° or greater. Major exclusions were made for the use of assistive device, serious medical comorbidity, inability to hear or see adequately for participation, and inability to pass a physical safety screen.

The members of the study participated in a two-group, 6-month, controlled, randomized, single-masked trial in a community research unit.

One group, the “treatment group” attended a one-hour yoga class for 3 days each week over the course of 24 weeks. The control group received regular mailings and attended a luncheon seminar each month.

At the end of the six months, the study did find a difference in the two groups. Those in the yoga-practicing treatment group experienced a 4.4% improvement in flexicurve kyphosis angle and a kyphosis index improvement of 5%, while the control group showed no improvement. However, the practicing the corrective posture exercises did not display any statistically significant improvement in Debrunner kyphometer angle measurement, physical performance measurements, or self-assessed health-related quality of life.

The study concluded that the improved results in flexicurve kyphosis angle of the yoga treatment group demonstrate that Hyperkyphosis can be treated, a significant finding on the road to developing treatments or prevention methods.

The researchers anticipate that future studies will compare the effects of yoga to other intervening methods for kyphosis and hyperkyphosis. It is possible that using longitudinally precise measures of kyphosis while focusing on individuals with more mutable spines could enhance the effects of treatment for forward head posture.

Technorati Tags: Bad Posture, Forward Head Posture, hunch back, Improve Bad Posture, kyphosis, posture brace, Posture Support

Building core strength is the second important step to improve your posture. If you’re struggling with bad posture, you have probably had this experience: it’s easy to straighten up and stand tall, but it’s exceedingly hard to stay standing straight and tall for more than–say 10 seconds.

The reason? Well, as we shall see in later posts, there are many, but a major one is lack of core strength. Proper core strength is what gives your body the support it needs to stay in good posture, not just hold it momentarily until you sink back into your usual bad posture. We once read somewhere that the force of gravity pulls on the body at a rate of 33 lbs per square inch. That’s a lot of downward pull! Without proper core strength, there is nothing left to hold your body up other than the spine. Without core strength, the weight of the body begins to hang on the spine, and this gradually pulls the spine down, exaggerating its curves and pulling you into a slump. The result: chronic bad posture. We see that a lot in people who don’t have a regular fitness program and don’t have the posture support afforded by strong core muscles: as they reach their 40s and 50s, the spine gradually begins to give in to the pull of gravity, the upper part of the chest caves in and they slump into a forward head posture. If not halted early on, this can easily develop into hyperkyphosis, that unflattering dowager’s hump, over time.

While there’s lots of information out there about building core strength, most of it focuses on creating abdominal strength. The kind of core strength you need to improve posture and prevent forward head posture is not the kind you get from building that ripped six-pack ab look. The core strength training needed to reverse bad posture must involve all core muscles. And, for proper posture support, the training you engage in must also train the muscles to work together in a coherent, integrated manner.

So what exactly are the core muscles involved in improving posture? Your core muscles consist not just of the abdominals, but of your entire trunk musculature: The muscles of the spine (back extensors) the muscles between the vertebrae (the multifidi), and of course, the abdominals. Most abdominal strengthening focuses on the more superficial abdominal muscles, but for people who want to build posture support and reverse bad posture the abdominal that’s most important is the Transversus Abdominis, the deepest of the abdominal muscles. For best results, corrective posture exercises must engage the whole trunk musculature in an integrated, holistic way.

The great thing about strenghtening core muscles is that it will do a lot more than simply help reverse bad posture. A weak core is one of the leading causes of back pain, especially lower back pain. The core is also the center for all your movements and the seat of power for your entire body. Building a strong core affects us not just physiologically by creating greater posture support and preventing back pain, mentally and emotionally even, a strong core affects our inner well-being and strength.

Strengthening the core should never be a painful and tedious workout–if you hate crunches, you’re not alone. We’ve collected some fun resources that can help make core strengthening and corrective posture exercises more enjoyable and even let you do it while you sit at your desk at work. Follow this link to view our selection of posture support and core strengthening resources.

For more information on core strengthening, also see this article.

Getting to the Core of Exercise

Technorati Tags: Bad Posture, Corrective Posture Exercises, Forward Head Posture, good posture, Improve Bad Posture, Posture Support

If you’re looking to improve bad posture, give yourself a pat on the back. Improving your posture will not just make you look taller and more confident, reversing bad posture can increase your energy and well-being immensely. Here are four ways to improve posture throughout the day without spending any great lengths of time.

1. Adapt posture supportive daily habits . One of the greatest influences on posture is how you sit, stand, and move throughout the day. If you sit a lot, educate yourself on proper sitting habits. Here is a helpful video on proper desk posture.

2. Do corrective posture exercises. Learning proper office posture and integrating active sitting and corrective posture exercises in your daily routine will go a long way towards reversing bad posture.

3. Consider using a posture support brace. While not a panacea in and of itself, a posture brace can be a great reminder to sit and stand straight.

4. Do reverse stretching to reshape bad posture. This is one of the most overlooked ways to improve posture. In reverse stretching, you put your body in the opposite shape of your habitual holding patterns. If you stay in the position for 5-10 minutes, you’ll gradually begin to reshape the connective tissue that keeps you locked into a bad posture.

In our next post, we’ll review some of the different types of fitness equipment for reverse stretching. 

Technorati Tags: Bad Posture, Desk Posture, Forward Head Posture, Improve Bad Posture, Office Posture, posture brace, Posture Support