Why Posture Matters:
Spolier Alert: It’s because forward collapse stretches the entire nervous system. The body does whatever it can to minimize this tension, twisting joints and stiffening muscles in the process.
If you haven’t already, please see the previous post and try the Slump Test for yourself.
Many chiropractors will tell you that the spine houses the nervous system, and that spinal misalignment affects nerve function, which can have serious consequences. They’re absolutely right. I’ve said this for years because it’s true: your skeletal alignment determines the tension on your nervous system.
To feel this you could tuck in the back of your shirt and then lean forward, or hold an imaginary rope behind your head and tail. When you lean forward, that entire length of “rope” (your spinal cord) gets stretched.
Conversely, conscious relaxation of all of your muscles reveals how much stiffness you are using to support yourself effectively. Indeed, trying to do the opposite and “standing/sitting up straight” all day is an exercise in futility. We offer a systemic and predictable way to minimize this stiffness requirement over time.
If you’ve been through the full healthcare gauntlet and are left without answers, consider how many pain problems could be explained by a mix of tightened muscles and stretched or pinched nerves struggling to support a collapsing frame. If stretching isn’t working, maybe it’s because those muscles are stiff for a good reason.
If your doctors insist your pain is “just stress,” think about this: there’s nothing more stressful than gravity constantly pulling you down. All that effort your body spends resisting it could be used for golfing, dancing, renovating your home, or playing with your kids. Instead, it’s wasted just holding yourself up, often painfully so.
If life feels like an uphill battle, maybe it’s because you’re literally falling forward.
If your rest positions feel more like stress positions, click below to start on your road to recovery.
However you feel about treatment, there are well documented consequences to postural problems. Research links forward-slumped posture to cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, decreased energy, and shorter lifespan.