How’s your posture? If you’re like most women, your posture could use a little attention… but correcting it is not at all what you think it is.

I used to have a job where I handwrote receipts to college alumni donors. Kitty and Katherine would comment on my posture. They thought I was a ballerina! But why did my low back always hurt, still? Yes, it probably had a little bit to do with my core strength. Yes, it probably had a little bit to do with my flexibility and mobility, especially my hips.

I know now, that it had a lot more to do with my posture. Even though I was always told I had great posture! I carried myself so erect!

I didn’t realize I had POSTURAL ATROPHY. (I’ll explain in a minute exactly why, even though I visually appeared to have great posture.)

Another Story

Recently, Janette a grandma that’s in my coaching community, reached out to me because she was developing low back and hip pain. She had been taking care of her grandkids a lot more in the recent weeks, and was carrying a toddler frequently on one hip. When she wasn’t carrying the toddler, she would sit down to get some relief. She knew she was exerting herself a lot more in the recent weeks, but couldn’t quite pinpoint why her back was hurting so badly!

She tried to stretch it and get her husband to give her a back rub, but the pain wasn’t going away.

I said, “Janette, most likely you’re experiencing some postural atrophy, just like I had, and once we correct that… the pain will be far more likely to resolve.”

Postural Atrophy

What I like to call “Postural Atrophy” is a condition in which the ideal position of key joints through your torso and pelvis are no longer aligned properly. Basically it’s a breakdown of how your skeleton, especially your torso, is designed to line up.

• It can be extensive and involve the spine, the rib cage, the shoulder blades, pelvis and femur bones.
• This Postural Atrophy can be caused by tightness in certain muscles, weakness in others, and most often a lack of alignment awareness.
• It can lead to significant pain and ongoing discomfort through the back and hips
• Imagine it like this: If you build a house but don't ensure that the main support beams are level and square, the structural integrity of the entire house is compromised. It will place unnecessary loads and pressures on some of the smaller support beams, and eventually you'll see cracks and damage throughout the whole house. It's a structural engineer's worst nightmare.

Proof

In 2018, researchers from Japan confirmed yet again what other spine researchers around the world have discovered: poor posture may lead to low back pain from a mechanical point of view because it exerts a large mechanical load on the low back and significantly increases the compressive forces on the intervertebral discs. Not only did they confirm that the posture of your spinal segments matters, but the postural symmetry and alignment of the pelvis place a major role in the presence of low back pain.

So what causes this and how can You avoid it?

4 Most Common Causes

• Sitting too long and too often.
• Here's how you overcome it. I want you to set a timer on your phone to go off every 30 minutes. When it goes off, stand up to walk around and stretch your legs. You'll find that simply shifting positions and straightening out your hips will relieve a lot of the pressure on your back.
• Standing or sitting with one hip shifted out to the side.
• Here's how you overcome it. I want you to practice standing with your hips level and equal pressure through both feet. You can even try tucking your tailbone down slightly, which may provide instant relief while you're standing. (Last week, story about my mom recovering from foot surgery.)
• Trying to squeeze your shoulders back to create good posture. (Try it and see what happens)
• Here’s how you can fix this: Think of good posture starting from the pelvis up. Get your pelvis level first, and then get your rib cage to sit level on top of your pelvis. Stand in front of a mirror and observe your torso from the front and the side. Then get down on your hands and knees and observe from the side. (Cat/cow) Start to get a sense of where “neutral” is for you.
• Being a “neck & chest” breather dramatically impacts your posture, too! Your neck and shoulders muscles become really tight and cause your rib cage to flare up and out.
• This was my problem.
• Tight muscles that pull on your body one way, and weak opposing muscles that don’t hold it in position on the other side. This tightness becomes your “new normal”.
• Here's how you overcome it: Well, I need you to come back next week because I’ll teach you more about your flexibility and more about strength.

Let’s RECAP:

Real quick, let’s remember my 3-part formula for a body that feels great for years to come - To easily remember it, I’m calling it the “PSF framework”.

1. Posture
2. Strength
3. Flexibility

If any of these three issues are not being addressed, you simply won’t feel good and you’ll be left wondering why.

My point with this little series is to really teach you what your body needs to feel really good and pain-free for many years to come. No more crotchety, weak, achy, old bodies, ok?

You’re going to be moving great for a long time ahead.

Big Takeaways

Ok, as we wrap up I want to leave you with one simple action step that you can put into place TODAY.

Pay attention to your posture as you move throughout the day. Find all the moments that you sit or stand tilted at your pelvis and have your rib cage flared up or slumped under. Just start to be aware and make micro-corrections when you need to.

More Resources

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