The Effect Of Gravity On Posture

Posture is the base of your support system. It helps you to stand, sit, lie down and participate in physical activity. Good posture protects you against injury and provides shock absorption for the rest of your body. Gravity plays a large role in your posture, which is important in keeping your whole body balanced. Gravity on poor posture creates unnecessary stress and pain on your joints and muscles.

Identification

Gravity constructs your posture; posture is your body's position while standing, lying down or sitting in relation to gravity. Your body is constantly changing to adjust itself in relation to the field of gravity, according to Aline Newton, a Massachusetts-based Advanced Certified Rolfer and Rolf Movement Educator. Good posture helps to keep your bones and joints in correct alignment, decreases abnormal wearing on joints and prevents backache and muscular pain. It also helps keep the spine from being in odd positions, decreases stress on ligaments and prevents muscle fatigue. Good posture creates the least amount of strain on your body.

Significance

Posture depends on gravity. Tonic activity, in which the muscles show a continuous slight activity even when at rest, forms the ability to adjust our uprightness in constantly changing circumstances, according to Newton. Your posture is directly related to your orientation within your environment, consisting of internal and external information. Internal information is the sense of your own body weight, while external information is the sense of the space around you. Your posture and how you hold yourself has a lot to do with how gravity affects you.

Proper Posture

Standing with good posture requires balancing your weight evenly on both feet with your knees slightly relaxed. Otherwise, gravity pulls on one leg more than the other, causing extra strain on one side of your body. Keep your shoulders back and relaxed while holding your chest high. Pull in your stomach and buttocks. No matter what stance you take, your body will constantly fight to keep you upright by using your muscles, which in turn can cause strains and pain. To sit properly, your body weight should rest evenly on both hips with your shoulders back and your buttocks touching the back of the chair. Your knees should be at a right angle and your feet flat on the floor.

Considerations

Posture problems can be congenital or occur as a result of injury. Scoliosis is an abnormal curvature of the spine, which can happen during a growth spurt before puberty. The effect of gravity with improper posture can cause other issues such as a difficulty in breathing. Other posture problems include lordosis, which is a pronounced hollowing of the lower back from an overly outward tilted pelvis, according to physiotherapist and injury expert Sean Fyfe of Sports Injury Bulletin. A sway back posture occurs when the pelvis moves forward and produces an exaggerated extension of the lower back.