Posture directly relates to Fatigue
There are many factors that impact how tired we feel, in addition to quality and length of sleep: mental state, diet, exercise, etc. Tiredness and fatigue also have a strong correlation with the amount of mental, physical and emotional energy expended each day. Yet here is a little-known fact…POSTURE directly relates to a person’s level of fatigue. Why is this, and what can you actually do about it?
Let’s first set a baseline for what is good posture. In a gravity environment, there is an ideal, neutral stance for our bodies. From the side, our bodies should line up, top of the head, ear, shoulder, and hips, directly over the ankles. There is some room for slight deviations in this, but let’s keep it simple. From the front, our nose should be over and in line with our sternum. Our sternum should be in line with the middle of our hips and drop straight down in between our feet. This is similar to what you would expect to see in a building that is well-constructed.
In case you didn’t know, people aren’t allowed to go into the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and there’s a very good reason for that.
The Gravity of the Situation
The greatest force impacting our bodies, every hour of every day, is gravity, which never rests.
If our spine lines up as described above, under normal circumstances, it will be virtually effortless to hold ourselves upright. Such proper alignment expends the least amount of energy. It stands to reason, that the closer our structures are to the center, the less energy it takes to hold us upright. Why? When our structures are centered, bones do the “heavy lifting,” instead of our muscles.
How does proper posture become compromised?
Simple physics can explain this. A physical force, such as a sudden impact, like a car accident, or gradual stresses over time, can move our structure away from center. Without an equal and opposite force to move us back to center, gravity continues to distort our already weakened structure. Therefore, a distorted structure or posture won’t correct itself. In fact, it only gets worse over time due to gravity. This often causes fatigue.
Who Suffers the Most?
We have all seen elderly folks stooped over. In general, as we age, we tend to move further and further away from center. The more we move away from center, the more stress it puts on our bodies, thus the more fatigued we feel. It’s no surprise that the elderly tend to experience more fatigue and thus need more frequent and longer rests. However, don’t fool yourself into thinking that postural distortions only come with age. These problems usually start when we’re much younger.
Sports injuries, car accidents, falls, cumulative stooping over computers and smartphones, and even hereditary structural issues can all contribute to postural problems, which will likely get worse as the person ages. We may feel the effects, such as pain and fatigue, at different stages in our lives as stresses are put on the body, or we may feel the effects when we are older.
How Can I Tell If I Have Poor Posture?
Most methods of postural measurement are non-scientific and not reliable. A basic reliable method of measuring posture is a digitized postural analysis. In our offices, we use the state-of-the-art screening tool called Posture Screen, a downloadable app on the iPad. We use it to screen people for significant postural issues to determine if action is needed, in order to grow/age in the healthiest state possible and to infuse the body with maximum energy.
Although this method is far more accurate than most other methods, it is rudimentary, compared with digital standing radiographs. The radiographic method can accurately measure the complete spinal structure in a scientific, repeatable way.
My Posture is Bad, Now What?
Yoga, Pilates, Physical Therapy and traditional chiropractic care have success stories behind them. Oftentimes, they can help when it comes to awareness of posture. However, all these methods have little to no data supporting long-term postural change.
How to Improve My Structure
There are only two methods that have a proven track record of making lasting structural and postural changes in the spine: Spine Surgery and Spinal Correction with Chiropractic BioPhysics.
Spinal surgery is fraught with risks, poor long-term outcomes, long rehab times, high expenses, as well as almost a 20% re-operation rate and high percentages of permanent disability.
Chiropractic BioPhysics (CBP) is not only completely safe, with no risks nor negative side effects, it has proven short and long-term outcomes. Spinal structural change through the CBP protocol is a fraction of the cost of surgery. The results improve the functioning of the entire body, deliver more energy, put an end to chronic pain, and give you the ability to do things that people thought were a thing of the past. This is because a spinal structural problem is usually the underlying cause of most back pain & neck pain, and chronic headaches or migraines, which compromise people’s abilities to live the lives they want and deserve.
Imagine if there were a method to naturally correct your spinal structure and posture, with no braces and no surgery, positively impacting the way you look, feel, function and age. That’s what the Chiropractic BioPhysics protocol delivers!
What Now?
The very first question is, do you have a “Posture Problem?” For starters, take a picture of yourself from front to back and from the side. Do your landmarks line up and are they perpendicular to the floor? If you want to step it up just a notch, there’s a great free app available that you can check yourself and your family members. It’s much more scientific than just eyeballing it. It’s called “Posture Screen Remote”. If you would like us to assess your posture for free, go to the Apple store and download the app, send the results to us, and we will give you the full analysis.
As an alternative, have a chiropractor in Tucker, GA evaluate your posture for you in person. Schedule a comprehensive, scientifically sound, spinal biomechanical assessment. If you have a structural problem that is affecting how you look, feel and function, we will not only let you know if we can help, but can show you to what extent we can expect spinal improvement; if we can’t help your situation, we are always straight up and honest about that. We look forward to helping you change the course of your health, as we have done for so many others.
About the Author
Dr. David Shapiro, DC, CEO of Complete Spine Solutions
A graduate of Life University, School of Chiropractic 1993 (4600 postgraduate hours). Board-certified licensed Doctor of Chiropractic. Passed 3 national board tests and the state of Georgia board examination. Also certified in therapeutic modalities.
Advanced Certified in Chiropractic BioPhysics, the most evidence-based technique in chiropractic. He’s been in private practice for over 25 years.
