Your posture says a lot about your personality. It also says a lot about how your joints and muscles are working. Here's everything you need to know about assessing your postural deviations and how to fix them

Imagine a strong, powerful, confident person standing in front of you. What kind of posture does that person have? Undoubtedly, the person in front of you is standing tall with an open chest and a head held high. It's a person who looks ready to take on the world.

How you look and feel is directly related to your posture. Despite the importance of having good posture, most of us don't do anything to improve it. We go about our lives with hunched backs and imbalanced hips, and deal with pain because we think it's normal.

Living with bad posture can be a dangerous thing. The muscle and ligament imbalances that result from poor alignment can lead to all sorts of problems:

  • Foot, knee, hip, and back injuries
  • Headaches
  • Stiffness
  • Fatigue
  • Muscle atrophy and weakness
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Digestion issues
  • Impingement and nerve compression
  • Sciatica
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome
  • Chronic back and neck pain
Correcting Your Alignment
To solve a problem, you first need to pinpoint the cause. Most postural deviations occur because the muscles that work to hold a joint in place are imbalanced. Generally speaking, one muscle group will be too tight and the opposing muscle group will be too loose or weak.
Standing Assessment
If you haven't been paying attention to your posture, it's probably a given that you have no idea how misaligned your body might be. If you're not sure whether your posture is good or if it needs a little work, do this standing assessment first:
  • Put on form-fitting clothes so you can see your alignment. Stand barefoot, tall but comfortable, without trying to force yourself into what you think is perfect posture. 
  • To get an honest assessment, close your eyes and march slowly in place a few times. This will allow your feet to turn in and out naturally. Bring your body to a stop and stand still. Have a friend take a full body picture of you from the front, the side, and behind.
Imagine your head is being pulled straight up by a string. Lift your chest slightly and draw in your abdominals. Keep your shoulders down and back, and your chin tucked in. You’re aiming for a strong, confident position! 
When sitting, scoot your hips to the back of your chair and avoid reclining against the seat-back you can consult Physiotherapist who can guide you about posture assessment and correction

Physiotherapist Dr. Anjana Gupta 
M-219  Greater Kailash Part-2  
9891188835