Why posture is the key to better health

Improved sleep, digestion and immunity are just some of the benefits of standing up straighter.

Words by Judith Woods

Whe we are about to step into an important meeting or a crowded room, we instinctively prepare ourselves. We pull back our shoulders, stand up straight and feel a surge of confidence.

The immediate effect of walking tall may appear to be phychological, but the benefits of good posture are by no means all in the mind. I a culture where office workers spend eight or ten hours slumped in front of a computer every day, we tend to regadd holding ourselves upright as some sort of cosmetic add-on that we adopt when we want to impress.

But good posture is a crucial element of good health. The way we carry ourselves has significant impact on the way we breathe, and the alignment of our joints and bones. Poor posture can cause back pain, headaches and digestive problems, it hampers our ability do do physical exercise, and can disturb our sleeping patterns.
"Your posture is the manifestation of how you feel. If you are stressed, you hunch over, your muscles contract and shorten, and you physically close down the body, rather than opening up to breathe in the world around you," says Robin Shepherd, a registered osteopath.
"If you have asthma, breathing difficulties or a predisposition to colds and flu, they could all be related to your posture, because your thorax is stiff and you are not using the full capacity of your lungs. When your shoulders are rounded and pressed forward, and your head is tucked into the neck, this causes tension in the base of the neck and leads to all sorts of problems with headaches, migraine and stiffness."

Nerves run through the spinal cord and branch out into the body, which means that bad posture can impede the passage of nerve impulses, creating what is sometimes known as a somatovisceral response, where damge to tissues in the back affects the soft internal organs. The resulting pain may in turn be referred back to the spine. Equally, the opposite can occur; kidney problems can result in back pain.
"It's not asimple case of saying this section of the spine equates with these organs," says Shepherd. "It's more subtle than that. But I see poeple with an irritable section of the back that is impeding the nerve supply to the stomach and giving them digestive problems."

We are born symmetrical, but sedentary lifestyles, holding a phone between ear and shoulder, carrying heavy bags - typically slung over the same arm every day - crossing our legs for long periods or driving for hours at a time all contribute to throwing us off balance.

The neck has a slight natural curve, sitting on top of the two curves in the middle and lower back. Good posture means that there is good musculoskeletal balance and weight is distributed equally. If the muscles in our neck are tight, it affects tyhe flow of blood through arteries to areas or the brain that control breathing, heart rate, appetite, balance, the hormone-producing pituitary gland, emotions and sleep. Little wonder then, that posture is so pivotal to our overall sense of wellbeing.
"Posture is fundamental to who we are," says chartered physiotherapist Sammy Margot, "but it's not about standing up ramrod straight like a soldier; it's how we carry ourselves when we sit, walk, sleep or run. It's a dynamic state."

Margot points out that humans simply weren't built to sit for hours at a stretch, which is reflected by the fact that eight out of ten adults have experienced back pain - up from six out of ten two decades ago.
"The key to sitting is to keep it dynamic. Research shows office chairs that move with us, rather than keeping us rigid, are better for our backs. If we keep moving, fluids are also kept moving in the body, lubricating and nourishimg it."

Good posture means bones, muscles, soft tissues and ligaments are in their optimum position and are less likely to be strained. It also results in higher levels of energy because you can breathe better, as your lungs are more open. It also improves your digestion, as your stomach is elongated in your body rather than being squashed.

Walking tall makes you look slimmer and gives you amore confident air, so you project more effectively in work or social situations. But what can you do to unlearn bad habits and hold yourself better? There is no quick fix for poor posture. Although massages might soothe knotted muscles and make you feel less clenched in the short term, they won't make a lasting difference. Techniques that re-educate your body and muscles to hold thamselves correctly can be very effective.

The pioneering Back2normal clinic in London was set up four years ago by consultant spinal surgeon Colin Natali. Since it opend, his private operating list has fallen by 75%, as he refers patients for treatment there instead. Using specially designed machines that are re-calibrated to meet the needs of each user, patients with chronic back and neck pain carry out repetitive movements, building up the deep core muscles that give the spine stability and restore posture.
"The backmis an exquisite piece of engineering and a wonderful shock absorber," says MR Natali, who also lectures at the University of London. "We try restore sagittal balance - that is the beautiful curves of the spine - by working on specific muscle groups."

The clinic, which accepts GP- and self-referrals, has an 83% success rate in pain reduction and just a 3% failure rate over three years. Two new Back2normal clinics are due to open in Southampton and Cardiff in 2006.

Prevention is always better than a cure. The Alexander Technique is specifically designed to improve posture by creatin self-awareness and releasing tension, helping people to understand the workings of their own body and move with a sense of energy and lightness. Noël Kingsley, an Alexander teacher and author of Perfect poise for life (Hodder Mobius, £10.99), believes that good posture promotes self-confidence by dramatically reducing stress levels.
"If our posture is poor, we don't breathe properly and that causes a build-up of lactic acid, which makes us anxious. By breathing deeply we can think clearly and feel centred, and that makes a difference to everything we do," says Kingsley.

The Technique was invented by Australian actor F Matthias Alexander, who lost his voice due to poor posture and developed a technique to remedy his problem. Kingsley reports that his clients often notice an improvement in their speaking voices because as they learn to draw a breath properly, the timbre deepens and the overall effect is more authoratative. Maximising lung capacity can also enhance sporting performance.
"We need to recapture the unconscious good posture of small children," says Kingsley. "We get to a stage where it's difficult to escape old habits; the correct posture feels wrong because we aren't used to it. Sometimes we need help to recapture our poise, in every sense."

A popular choice is Pilates, a series of movements executed on the floor or using special equipment. The goal is to re-balance the body and srngthen the abdominal muscles, removing much of the tension from the back.

Other techniques include the Feldenkrais method, a one-to-one therapy, featuring slow exercises to help adults return to the fluid way of moving that is instinctive to young children. And the Norris Technique is based on the idea that the body is a series of building blocks, with emphasis placed on the correct alignment of the feet.

At The Diagnostic Clinic in London, patients are routinely offered an osteopathic assessment to gain a picture of their overall health. According to medical director Dr Rajendra Sharma, the spine should not be ignored.
"As far a posture is concerned, once something is out of kilter, the body is more likely to hurt itself," says Dr Sharma. "If for instance you are sitting at a desk all week and then playing sport at the weekend, there's a much greater risk of injury. Identify problems now so that you can put things right before you jeopardise your long-term health."

Effective posture therapies

Alexander Technique
The treatment is delivered with the patient either standing, sitting on a chair or lying on a table. The practitioner uses extremely gentle manipulations and physical guidance of the body's movements, such as standing up and sitting sown. These will make minute adjustments to the balance and flexibility of the head, neck and spine. Verbal advice and direction encourages you to get out of bad posture habits, and increases support, balance and coordination. £30 to £40 for a one-to-one, one-hour session.

Feldenkrais Method
Most people use the method for relieving pain in the back and neck., and to fine-tune flexibility and coordination. The method is based on principles of physics, biomechanics and human development. It is taught in groups known as "awareness through movement classes" or in private sessions called "functional integration". Pupils lie down fully clothed on a low, wide table to encourage maximum relaxation, and receive gentle, hands-on touches that ease tension. £35 for a one-to-one, one-hour session.

Norris Technique
The technique is taught in groups as a "survival kit for everyday movement". Students learn to put their hands onto their own bodies to achieve perfect alignment, and are shown that the feet and the legs must be aligned to achieve neck and spine alignment. The technique seeks to turn normal movements into positive exercise. Classes cost £145 per head for groups of up to four people, and £95 per head for groups up to 12. Patricia Norris teaches exclusively in London, but is training others to teach the method.

Pilates
A mind, body and spirit exercise allowing the body's structure to realign and achieve balance, and therefore move with maximum efficiency and minimum effort. There are two separate strands: studio classes using simple machines that exercise specific muscle groups, which are particularly good for people with sports injuries or bad backs; and mat-work Pilates classes which are in groups and floor based. Pilates starts at £5 to £10 per hour for mat work and goes up to £65 per hour for studio sessions.

How to improve your posture

• Don't hold yourself stiffly. Shake your arms out and elongate your body by imagining a string running from your ankles up through your body and head, pulling you upwards.
• Good posture promotes good breathing. Deep breathing reduces tension in the neck and back muscles and expands the chest.
• Loosen up by shrugging your shoulders up as far as you can then pulling them back and down towards each other.
• Don't sit in one position for long periods and avoid crossing your legs under your desk. Sit with your spine against the back of the chair and knees slightly below hip level.
• Don't lean forward; your shoulders should be straight and parallel to the hips.
• Lie on your back for 15 minutes every day, knees bent, with a three-inch pile of paperbacks positioned under your head. Breathe deeply into your abdomen. This releases the back and reduces tension.

USEFUL CONTACTS

• The Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique 1st Floor, Linton House, 39,51 Highgate Road, London NW5 1RS. 0845 230 7828. www.stat.org.uk
• Back2normal bck and neck clinic 44 Curlew Street, Butlers Wharf, London SE1 2ND. 020 7357 6877. www.back2normal.co.uk
• Noël Kingsley MSTAT21 Harcourt House, 19 Cavendish Square, London W1G 0PL. 020 7491 3505. www.noelkingsley.com
• Pilates Foundation PO box 36052, London SW16 1XQ 07071 781 859. www.pilatesfoundation.com
• The Feldenkrais Guild UK The Bothy, Auclunies, Walled Garden, Blairs, Aberdeenshire AB12 5YS. 07000 785 506. www.feldenkrais.co.uk
• Norris Technique 7 Clissold Road, London N16 9EX. 08707 606 222. www.norristechnique.com
• The Diagnostic Clinic 50 New Cavendish Street, London WG1 8TL. 020 7009 4650. www.thediagnosticclinic.com