Musde Balance and Function System – Postural Alignment Exercises by Michael Jen
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Learning Objectives: Explain the significance of posture, stability, and mobility in relation to one another.
Understand how posture, stability, and mobility impact movement both separately and together.
Recognize the biomechanical components of postural alignment and how they contribute to stability and mobility.
Give instances of how poor posture, stability, and mobility all have a negative impact on bodily function and structure.
Figure 1: Triangle of Posture, Stability, and Mobility
The significance of posture
Let us begin by delving into the relevance and significance of posture.
In our thoughts, posture brings up a variety of pictures. Perhaps the most prevalent is our mothers encouraging us to sit up straight, which has a lot of value from a musculoskeletal standpoint. When we sit up straight or stand tall, we arrange our joints in a way that reduces compressive joint stresses and soft tissue loads. This is known as “military posture” (Saunders, 1985).
The most common word used to describe posture is “neutral spine,” which simply describes how we position our spine (see Figure 2). The center of gravity bisects our spinal curvature in this posture, which provides various benefits and advantages.
Figure 2 shows a neutral spine.
Erector Spinae (Figure 3)
It is a stable and energy-efficient alignment that requires the least amount of muscle contraction to support, reduces shear and compressive loads on the spine, provides the best position for muscles to support and move the spinal joints, and establishes the ideal alignment for locomotion and other upright activities (McGill, 2002). The neutral spine is an excellent example of how posture influences muscle activity in terms of muscle fiber orientation. In a neutral spine, the lumbar components of the Erector Spinae (see Figure 3) have an oblique angle of roughly 45 degrees from their origin on the sacrum to their corresponding vertebral attachments (McGill 2006). When the spine is flexed, the muscle line of action shifts to a more parallel alignment, reducing its capacity to protect the spine from the detrimental anterior shear stresses seen when lifting with a rounded spine (McGill 2006). The spinal curves have a direct impact on the fiber orientation of these back extensor muscle groups, which are essential for controlling vertebral joint position and reducing detrimental stresses on the spine. As a result, posture determines the spine’s load bearing capacity.
Posture is important beyond the spine since the extremities play a role. The location of the ankles and knees, for example, can alter body alignment and impact force output (Starrrett 2013). Overpronation is an excellent example that we see much too frequently in the realm of sports medicine. Overpronation in the lower limbs relates to a wide range of orthopedic overuse problems, including achilles tendonitis, runner’s knee, patella tendonitis, and others. In terms of posture, athletes who overpronate create an environment of excessive internal rotation and valgus, which affects both knee and hip placement (see Figure 4).
Figure 4 shows a knee valgus.
Postural flaws (such as this example of overpronation) are not just static, but also dynamic. The location of one joint, whether stationary or in motion, has a direct influence on the position of the joints above and below it. When athletes overpronate, their knees are more likely to fold inward, impairing their capacity to efficiently shock absorb and maintain body weight, as well as generate the energy required for running’s propulsion phase.
It bears repeating that posture determines muscle function, and this applies not only to the spine but to all joints, including the lower extremities. When the ankles, knees, and hips are out of alignment, the capacity to generate force and maintain joint position is hampered (Starrett, 2013). It’s only a matter of time before something gives, much like a car with bad shocks. Body joints must stack up properly or posture suffers and things break down. From this vantage point, it is simple to see why posture should always be the basis upon which we construct movement abilities.
The Concept of Stability
Suspension Bridge (Figure 5)
The next idea worth deconstructing into its most basic component is stability.
I am always astonished at how frequently this phrase is used in the fitness sector, however when we try to explain it, we discover that its implications are ambiguous. Personally, I like to conceive of it in terms of architectural or structural engineering, where it can easily be interchanged with the idea of “support.”
Figure 6: Ligaments of the Spine
The construction base, struts or beams, and cables all provide support for a suspension bridge (see Figure 5). In example, the ligaments compare favorably to the cables (see Figure 6) and the vertebrae piled on top of each other and sitting on the pelvis serve as the foundation (see Figure 7). The most major distinction in this analogy is that the spine is impacted by muscles that apply active pressures on its joints to impart tension and rigidity in addition to its passive support components. These muscles are controlled by a finely tuned neural system that transmits and receives information from the spinal ligaments and muscles to generate a highly advanced stability framework capable of enormous quantities of structural support (see Figure 8).
Figure 7 shows the vertebrae and the pelvis.
External forces across the spine’s joints can therefore be balanced and modified to reduce compressive stresses and achieve equilibrium (Morris, 2006). This notion, which comprises the balance of forces to govern joint alignment and position, is possibly the most precise explanation of bodily stability.
Figure 8: Pathway of the Nervous System
I hope you can see the relationship between posture and stability at this stage. When we have good posture, the joints in our bodies are physically aligned to generate stability. Our joints are stacked to offer excellent surface contact, with ligament stress evenly distributed on both sides. Muscle position is also optimal for both supporting and moving our body’s lever arms. On the opposite end of the scale, the stability components include healthy ligaments that can endure tensile pressures and give the skeletal system with the support it needs to maintain perfect posture in all planes of motion, both statically and dynamically. A finely tuned neural system also governs muscle contractions on both sides of the body’s joints to provide additional support for maintaining perfect posture. From this perspective, it’s simple to see why when posture fails, so does stability, and vice versa. To build an efficient structural and mechanical bodily movement system, the two are extremely dependent on one another.
Bridging the Mobility Gap
Mobility is the final component of this trio, and it is equally crucial and reliant on the others.
Mobility is likely the most straightforward feature to define. Simply said, it is the capacity to move freely. Soft tissue structures that have become adaptively reduced and formed adhesions over time might limit mobility and result in dysfunctional motions. Muscle connective tissue, fascia, and joint capsules all play important roles in most cases (Starrett 2013). The diagnoses and distinguishing variables amongst various structures are beyond the scope of this essay, but we can grasp that the source of any soft tissue limitation impacts all other structures and the general quality of body mobility. For example, if the anterior part of the hip has shortened and developed adhesions, the hip capsule will restrict its capacity to expand. Over time, a lack of hip extension will impair the hip flexor muscles and anterior fascia fibers that span the hip joint, compounding the lack of hip extension. We must keep in mind that mobility impersonations typically include many soft tissue components, which must be treated using a range of soft tissue mobilization methods and stretching tactics (Starrett 2013).
Perhaps more essential, realize the link between mobility and posture and stability. As previously noted, we often lose mobility in our joints and muscles as a result of bad posture, which leads to a lack of stability. “Proximal stability equals distal mobility” is a two-way street, implying that “distal movement equals proximal stability.”
When we have a strong core that can keep the spine steady and in alignment, distal joint mechanics improve, allowing us to move freely through the hip and shoulder girdles. If we can maintain our shoulders and hips fully flexible in all planes of motion (whether in daily life, exercise, or sport), we enhance our capacity to keep our spines stable and quiet.
Because we are most stable when we maintain excellent posture and have better range of motion in our joints, posture has a direct relationship to mobility and stability. Simply try lifting your arm above your head in a forward, slouched stance rather than standing tall, shoulders back, and head straight. When we take use of the body’s inherent postural alignment, our mobility is constantly increased.
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