Perfect Posture Part 2

Thoracic and Lumbar Spine

This is a continuation of the Perfect Posture series. Please read Part 1 first.

In part 1 we discussed posture pertaining to the head and cervical spine. In Part 2 we will be discussing the rest of the spine.

Before we do that, I want to address treatment of poor posture. Posture is dynamic. It changes throughout the day, over the course of weeks-years, and even second to second as you breathe.

There is no expectation that you will have perfect posture. In fact, there is really no such thing. Everyone has different genetics which cause small differences in posture. For example, someone with long legs and a short torso will have a slightly different posture than someone with short legs and a long torso. Wide shoulders, a big head, arm carrying angles, etc all change your posture.

The purpose of this series is to get you thinking about how to improve your posture. There are many ways to do this. One of the most important is being aware of what’s ideal. If you aren’t aware that a slumped posture is bad, you can’t be expected to fix it. Awareness of the problem is the first step. Knowinging what to aim for is next.

When I give solutions to poor posture, I am giving vague generalities. My recommendations will be things that should work for everyone. In the last article I recommended strengthening muscles that are weak in most people with poor posture. This doesn’t mean it’s the only thing you should do. Many people fix their poor posture with exercises like yoga or tai chi. That’s perfectly fine. Some people work with a physical therapist. That’s great too. Find what works for you.

Let’s begin.