Posture is a positioning of the whole body during all daily activities- whether standing, sitting or lying down. [1] Posture is a result of the nervous system’s approach to handling a load. It’s individual for each person.
Gravity is constant strong force, whitch one the body have to fight. In addiction to that during movement, the body absorbs energy from the impact of each step on the ground. From this reason, nature gives people slight curves in the spine. They are big enough to act like a spring and small enough to keep the human straight. Thanks to these physiological curves, the spine is nearly 20 times more resilent to impact than it would be without them. [2]
The whole system of spine is designed to support posture in standing position with minimal effort, optimizing energy effciency. Many researchers define posture as the natural, stable alignment of a calmly standing person, who holds the body and limbs without special active muscle tension. [3]
Gravity constantly tries to increase curves of the spine. If nervous system lets go in the upper part, the spine become hyper- kyphotic (an exaggerated forward curve). If it lets go in the lower part, the spine become hyper- lordotic (an exaggerated inward curve). A combination of these two is also possible, resulting in a hyper- kypholordosis. [4]
If, in the fight against gravity, a nervous system overacts in the lumbar region, is developing a swayed back. If this overaction spreads higher, spine end up with a flat back. If base tension is even higher, is developing a military posture.
While these reactions are natural, an excessively straight or overly curved spine can impair the efficient transfer of forces through the body. As a result, overloads may occur.
- Caneiro, Joao Paulo, i in. „The Influence of Different Sitting Postures on Head/Neck Posture and Muscle Activity”. Manual Therapy, t. 15, nr 1, February 2010, s. 54–60. PubMed, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.math.2009.06.002
- Jaworski, Piotr. Postural defects – correct posture, pathological posture, pathogenesis and consequences. Part one. August 2019. Zenodo, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3379300
- Axmedova, Sayyora M., i Dilrukh I. Khodjaeva. „THE STAGES OF POSTURE FORMATION AND VARIOUS FACTORS LEADING TO A CHANGE IN POSTURE (LITERATURE REVIEW)”. Central Asian Journal of Medicine, nr 3, October 2023, s. 148–60. journals.tma.uz, https://journals.tma.uz/index.php/cajm/article/view/697
- Boos, Norbert, i Max Aebi. Spinal Disorders: Fundamentals of Diagnosis and Treatment. Springer-Verlag, 2008