Yes? No?
We probably all have our opinions on how important our posture is day to day, but to answer the question above... well, it's both. Yes AND No.
Let's look at the YES first.... why posture DOES matter:
We all have a skeleton. Attached to our skeleton are our muscles and these muscles can be divided into 3 groups:
Local/Postural muscles - these are muscles that tend to sit very close to our skeleton. They can be thought of as being "switched on" almost continuously as they help keep us upright and maintain our joints in neutral positions. They are made to stay switched on for long periods of time.
Global Stabilisers are muscles that are weight bearing - these muscles also help to keep us upright and stabilise us, working alongside the Local muscles. They can react to external stimulus helping us to balance and produce movement, "switching on" whenever we need them.
Global Mobilisers are non weight bearing muscles - these are the muscles that help us to produce movement. They help us to run, dance, get dressed, drive and perform our daily activities.
Now, imagine you are sitting at a desk all day and developing a rounded 'hunched' shoulder posture - this posture has deviated from the neutral position. Muscles on the chest and front of shoulders may become tight and dominant - muscles on the upper back and rear shoulders may become weak. This changes the dynamic between the muscle groups. Some muscles are now being asked to help maintain posture and stay "switched on", despite this not being their job. Other muscles may begin to weaken as they fight against the tight, dominant muscles. This is where pain can arise and movement may start to be limited as the strong, dominant muscles may shorten and lose their flexibility.
Circulation can also be affected. As muscles contract, blood flow through them is restricted. Local muscles are situated and made in a way that allows them to do their job efficiently, using as little energy as possible, and their location allows them to do this using a relatively small level of contraction. When we begin to ask our Global muscles to help out, their contractions may begin to impede circulation, making it more difficult for oxygen and nutrients to be carried around the body.
Returning to our rounded shoulder posture, tight chest muscles could also have an impact and restrict breathing as the lungs no longer have the ability to expand as far.
So yes, posture does matter, HOWEVER...
These changes in muscle recruitment and skeleton/joint alignment will only come about through HABITUAL postures. We all know that taking just one exercise class doesn't make you magically fit and healthy.... it takes consistency and determination to build our strength and stamina. The same can be applied to posture - when we engage in habitual postures for extended periods of time day to day, then yes - we may experience these changes, however an hour or so hunched over at a desk won't result in lasting changes.
Which bring us on to NO - why posture DOESN'T matter...
As humans, we are designed to MOVE. Moving keeps us healthy, nourishes our body, strengthens our heart, lungs, muscles and bones and maintains healthy joints. We are simply not designed to stay still for long periods of time. Even in the most perfect standing or seated posture, maintaining the position for a lengthy period of time will not do our bodies any good.
Perfect seated posture could still result in tight hips and tight hamstrings (back of thighs) and these could alter the angle of our pelvis. Perfect standing posture can put pressure on the feet, which may tire and begin to cause pain, causing us to begin shifting our weight and deviating from our previous "perfect" posture.
Consider the above - changes in postural alignment come about through HABITUAL, sustained postures. If we keep moving, we can avoid this!
Whatever you are doing, VARIETY is the spice of life! Moving doesn't have to mean getting up from your desk to power walk or do star jumps.... moving can be as simple as shifting your sitting position, adjusting your chair, getting up for a drink or to nip to the loo - and if you fancy having a stretch or touching your toes whilst you do, then great!
So, forget about trying to maintain that "perfect" posture and focus instead on switching position regularly and moving!
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