10 Surprising Effects of Posture on Your Health
… and How Massage Can Help
Our posture, the way we sit and stand, isn't solely determined by genetics or beyond our control. It's largely influenced by chronic muscle tension that pulls our skeleton out of alignment. This tension accumulates over time due to our daily movement patterns and responses to stress.
In essence, our habitual posture is shaped by muscle memory. At the end of this post, I'll discuss ways to retrain your muscle memory and adjust your posture. But first, let's delve into these 10 eye-opening ways your posture affects your health.
Posture and Testosterone Levels
Research conducted by Amy Cuddy of Harvard University, along with Dana Carney and Andy Yap of Columbia University, revealed the direct impact of posture on testosterone levels. Participants who assumed high-power poses for two minutes experienced a surge in testosterone, while those in low-power poses saw a decline. Testosterone, crucial for various bodily functions, influences not only libido but also muscle and bone growth, mood, and self-esteem.
2. Posture and Cortisol Levels
The same study also explored how posture affects cortisol levels. High-power posers exhibited reduced cortisol levels, while low-power posers experienced an increase. Elevated cortisol levels, stemming from prolonged stress, contribute to a host of health issues, from weakened immunity to heart disease and mood disorders.
3. Posture and Pain Tolerance
Adopting dominant poses, as demonstrated in another study, heightened subjects' tolerance for pain. Power posing instills a sense of control, which correlates with increased pain tolerance. Conversely, poor posture can perpetuate a cycle of pain by affecting hormone levels and pain perception.
4. Posture and Spinal Health
Misaligned posture directly contributes to common spinal problems like sciatica, disc degeneration, and arthritis. Chronic muscle tightness can compress vertebrae and discs, leading to nerve compression and other issues.
5. Posture and Athletic Injuries
Athletes with postural imbalances face a higher risk of injury. Studies indicate a link between dysfunctional postural habits and muscle strains, back pain, and joint injuries.
6. Posture and Headaches
Any spinal misalignment, such as rounded or forward head posture, often results in tension headaches. Chronic muscle tightness in the neck and shoulders can trigger these headaches, which affect a significant portion of the population.
7. Posture and Blood Pressure
Rounded posture, increasingly prevalent due to modern lifestyles, exerts pressure on the thoracic cavity, elevating blood pressure. Correcting rounded posture is essential for maintaining cardiovascular health.
8. Posture and Breathing
Poor posture impedes breathing, leading to shallow breaths that activate the body's stress response. Proper breathing is crucial for overall well-being, and correcting posture can alleviate respiratory issues.
9. Posture and Digestion
Rounded posture compresses abdominal organs, hindering digestion and elimination. Addressing posture-related muscle tension can improve digestive function and alleviate discomfort.
10. Posture and Sexual Health
Chronic muscle tightness in the abdomen and pelvic floor can affect blood flow and hormone levels, potentially impacting sexual function. Maintaining optimal posture is essential for sexual health and overall well-being.
As mentioned earlier, our consistent posture is shaped by our muscle memory. Throughout our lives, our nervous system adapts to keep certain muscles tense due to our daily routines (such as athletic activities and desk sitting) and our responses to stress, which entail muscle contractions.
Now, how can we alleviate chronic muscle tension and modify our established posture? Through neuromuscular education we can educate our nervous system to lower our baseline muscle tension and retrain our proprioception (our awareness of our body's position in space). This neuromuscular education can be done either through strength and resistance training or various massage techniques such as:
Muscle Energy Techniques
Myofascial Release and Trigger Point Therapy
Myofascial release targets the fascia, the connective tissue surrounding muscles, to alleviate restrictions and tightness. Trigger point therapy focuses on specific points of muscle tension, known as trigger points, applying pressure to release knots and improve muscle function.
Positional Release Therapy
Positional release therapy involves finding tender points in the body and then positioning the body or affected limb in a way that relieves strain on those points. This technique aims to reduce pain and tension by promoting relaxation in the affected muscles and tissues.
Muscle Energy Techniques
Muscle energy techniques involve the active participation of the client, who engages the muscles in a controlled manner against resistance from the therapist. These techniques help improve muscle flexibility, strength, and coordination, while also addressing imbalances and promoting relaxation.
Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) Stretching
PNF stretching is a form of flexibility training that involves alternating between muscle contraction and relaxation to enhance range of motion. By engaging the muscles before stretching them, PNF stretching can effectively improve flexibility and alleviate muscle tightness.
For a comprehensive exploration of each technique, we invite you to click on the provided links for in-depth articles. However, let's narrow our focus for the moment to discuss how massage, in its entirety, contributes to aligning and influencing your postural health.
By delving into the broader spectrum of massage therapy techniques, we can appreciate the collective impact they have on posture. From addressing muscle tension and promoting relaxation to enhancing flexibility and restoring muscular balance, massage serves as a holistic approach to improving posture and overall musculoskeletal well-being.
10 Ways Stretching and Massage Transform Your Alignment
Lengthening Tight Muscles: Stretching helps to elongate muscles that have become shortened due to prolonged periods of sitting or poor posture, allowing them to return to their natural length and reducing muscular imbalances.
Improving Flexibility: Increased flexibility through stretching allows for a greater range of motion in joints, making it easier to maintain proper posture throughout daily activities.
Relieving Muscle Tension: Massage therapy targets areas of muscular tension and knots, promoting relaxation and alleviating tightness in the muscles that contribute to poor posture.
Enhancing Muscle Symmetry: By addressing muscular imbalances through targeted stretching and massage, you can encourage symmetry between opposing muscle groups, promoting better alignment and posture.
Correcting Forward Head Posture: Specific stretches and massage techniques can target the muscles of the neck and upper back to counteract the forward head posture commonly associated with prolonged sitting and screen use.
Opening Up the Chest: Stretching the chest muscles and massaging the surrounding tissues can help to counteract the forward rounding of the shoulders that often occurs with poor posture, allowing for a more open and upright posture.
Releasing Tension in the Lower Back: Stretching and massage can help to alleviate tightness and discomfort in the muscles of the lower back, reducing the tendency to slouch and promoting a more neutral spinal alignment.
Engaging Core Muscles: Certain stretching exercises and massage techniques can activate and strengthen the muscles of the core, providing better support for the spine and promoting a stable, upright posture.
Improving Body Awareness: Regular stretching and massage sessions can increase proprioception, or awareness of body positioning, helping individuals to recognize and correct postural habits more effectively.
Reducing Pain and Discomfort: By addressing muscular tension and imbalances, stretching and massage can alleviate the pain and discomfort often associated with poor
Common Massage Practices to Alleviate Postural Discomfort
how flex and flow massage can treat you…
Swedish Massage: This type of massage involves long, flowing strokes, kneading, and gentle pressure applied to the muscles. It helps to promote relaxation, reduce muscle tension, and improve blood circulation, which can alleviate tightness and discomfort in the muscles associated with poor posture. Swedish massage can target areas such as the neck, shoulders, and lower back to release tension and encourage better alignment.
Deep Tissue Massage: Deep tissue massage focuses on applying firm pressure to release chronic muscle tension and knots that may be contributing to poor posture. By targeting the deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue, deep tissue massage can help break up adhesions, improve flexibility, and promote better alignment. It's particularly effective for addressing tightness in areas like the upper back, shoulders, and hips, which are common problem areas for those with postural issues.
Myofascial Release: Myofascial release is a specialized massage technique that targets the fascia, the connective tissue that surrounds and supports muscles, bones, and organs. By applying sustained pressure to areas of tension and restriction in the fascia, myofascial release can help release tightness, improve flexibility, and restore proper movement patterns. This type of massage can be beneficial for addressing postural imbalances and promoting better alignment throughout the body.
