False! Many of us have been told that we need to “suck in our gut” and “lift our chest” in order to have good posture. We’ve been told since we were little to “stand up straight,” but what exactly does that mean? Misinformation is running rampant these days, even when it comes to proper posture. According to an article written in the New Yorker back in late March of this year, standing posture should consist of the “…stomach pulled slightly in… shoulders pulled back…[and] pretend that someone’s punching you in the stomach.” We’ve all heard this advice whether it’s from the media, the health and fitness industry (or even some doctors, chiropractors, and physical therapists), but is this advice true?

The answer is no. Our bodies are made to be efficient. Engaging our core all day long in order to stand up straight is extremely inefficient. If we are in proper alignment with our ribcage overtop of our pelvis, our core is then primed to activate WHEN NEEDED. You might have been told that when you lift weights at the gym you need to engage your core, which can be true depending on how much weight you’re lifting. But if we are in proper alignment, our core will engage automatically. When we pull our shoulders back, we’re essentially tilting our rib cage backward. Our body then has to compensate (so we don’t fall backward) by tilting our pelvis forward. Vicky Saliba Johnson, co-founder of the Institute of Physical Art (IPA), and creator of the Saliba Postural Classification System, calls this a “Posterior/Posterior” posture.

A Posterior/Posterior posture has lots of negative consequences. It can compress the lower back and doesn’t allow the diaphragm to work properly which makes breathing inefficient. It also causes chest breathing, which then tightens up the muscles of the neck, which can then cause neck and shoulder pain. The forward tilt of the pelvis and the backward tilt of the rib cage doesn’t allow for the natural pressure system to occur in the abdomen, which is the true core that creates stability in the spine.

Marry Massery describes our core system like a Coke can, where the top of the Coke can is the diaphragm, the bottom is the pelvic floor, and the sides are the obliques and deep abdominals. If you were to stand on an unopened Coke can on the floor the pressure system inside prevents you from crushing the can, but as soon as you pop the top of the can, the pressure releases and the can is easily crushed. This is very similar to your trunk where if your rib cage is tilted backward (the top of the Coke can is popped), and the pelvis is tilted forward (the bottom of the can is open), your core can’t engage efficiently, and you are now sitting into the ligaments of your spine.

When we’re not in proper alignment, then yes, we do have to consciously engage our core to protect our lower back, but again, that’s inefficient. Our brain needs to be able to interact with real-time activity and our surrounding environment, not worry about what’s going on down below. This is how we get injured; when we’re not in proper alignment, the core isn’t able to fire automatically, and our tissues become overstressed and damaged because our brain is too busy with other things to tell our core to engage, and there’s no support system in our trunk. All the core work in the world isn’t going to help your low back pain unless you retrain your body to have proper alignment.

Most, if not all of us, are NOT in proper alignment and are NOT in proper posture. A fellow PT in South Carolina who has been keeping tabs on her patients using the Saliba Postural Classification System reported that out of 100 patients, no one had what the IPA considers to be proper alignment of the rib cage over the pelvis and the pelvis in neutral. So, what can we do about this?!

The best way to determine YOUR proper standing alignment is to go see a physical therapist that is well-versed in the Saliba Postural Classification System, and who can perform the IPA’s Vertical Compression Test, like those of us at Beacon PT! From there we can determine where your posture is most efficient so you can go about your day and participate in your favorite activities relatively pain free. You’ll have a strong base and core from which to move from, and you’ll be less likely to be sidelined by a back injury.

Beacon Physical Therapy

At Beacon Physical Therapy, we support our clients in establishing healthy movement patterns that help maintain strength, flexibility and mobility. If you are having an issue, make an appointment today. We’d love to meet you and get you back to doing what you love.