subject: How postural issues can affect your exercise [print this page] How postural issues can affect your exercise
How many times have you experienced some discomfort when you exercise? It may start with an ache here and there, and it can develop into something more significant over time. How often have you ignored that niggly little ache in your back that twinges every so often when you bend over? Our excuse for not seeing the right specialist is that we don't have time, we can't afford it, or we just can't be bothered right now. It slowly gets worse until one day you end up flat on your back unable to move, exercise, or manage your day to day activities!
How can we assess whether we have long standing postural issues that with a few sensible steps, we could avoid discomfort when we exercise?
Our society is such that we work longer hours, spend more time at our desk, we have access to computer games and multiple television channels which means we spend a lot more time in sedentary positions. This results in a number of postural issues: forward head carriage ("head poke"), hunched or forward rolling shoulders, tight hamstrings, lower back problems and much more. When we then go to exercise, some of these postural issues will affect the way we carry ourselves and potentially aggravate the condition.
We may find that we are running with a stooped over gait, we suffer from shoulder or neck pain, we lack core strength and our flexibility is compromised in the posterior part of the body back of the legs or lower back. Our gait can be affected by certain muscles that have not been exercised well such as the gluteal (buttock) muscles. Weak glutes can lead to lower back problems or pain in the muscles surrounding the knees or hip joints as these muscles become over-used trying to compensate and correct gait issues. Many runners get "runners knee" from tight fascia on the outside of their leg as it pulls the knee joint out of place.
These are just some examples of how "bad" posture can affect your movement. So how do you deal with these postural challenges? Before you commence an exercise program, your fitness specialist should do a postural assessment to be aware of any muscular imbalances and take care not to exacerbate them. They should work with you to correct any postural or musculoskeletal issues. If it is an issue that is beyond their capability then a good physio will be able to assess what challenges you may have, and how to rectify them.
Ensuring that you wear the right gear will help. Correctly fitted shoes manage whether your feet roll in or roll out which affects your gait, and compression garments support your muscles as you move throughout exercise. The correct warm up before exercise will help to reduce the risk of damaging tight muscles, and stretching with tools like a foam roller regularly will help to release tight fascia and tight muscles. Ensuring that your desk at work is set up ergonomically may avoid hunching in your shoulders, or a stooped or bent over position whilst you work.
By taking these steps you will ensure that you exercise in comfort and hopefully correct your posture, or minimise any discomfort from long standing postural issues.
