POSTURE

The American Physical Therapy Association says good posture is important because it helps your body function at top speed.  It promotes movement efficiency and endurance and contributes to an overall feeling of well-being. 

Faulty posture can cause excessive stress on your muscles and joints.  It can cause back pain later in life.  It can also affect the function of your vital organs.

There are three natural curves in your spine:  One in the neck area, one in the upper back area and one in the low back area.  These curves must be maintained in proper balance to have good posture. 

With good posture, in a side view of the body, a straight vertical line can be drawn through the ear, shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle.  From a front view, the head should be straight, not tilted, and the shoulders, hips, and knees should be level.

There can be many contributing factors to poor posture.  A complete postural evaluation as provided by a physical therapist can help identify postural problems.  If appropriate, an exercise program can be developed to correct the problems or keep them from becoming worse.

If you have concerns about your posture or the posture of a family member, contact a physical therapist for a postural evaluation. 

Don’t wait.  Postural problems become progressively more difficult to correct as we age.