[This is a guest blog by Renee Perkins. Renee is enrolled at App State University and is currently taking part in the Athletic Lab Coaching Mentorship program.]
Back pain affects 60-70% of people in their lifetime (Burton, 2005). The majority will experience this discomfort impacting mood and capacity to focus during daily activities. The cause of this back pain can stem from multiple root issues. That said, a key component to a healthy, pain free back is keeping it in good postural alignment. “Exercise can lessen the behavioral, cognitive and disability aspects of back pain syndromes” (Rainville, 2004). This research indicates it helps lower the intensity of back pain from 10% to 50% (Rainville, 2004). If prescribed appropriately, exercise can be the cure. But performed in an improper fashion it can add to the negative stress on the back. It is important to maintain ideal posture during exercises when the body is placed under a heavy load and excessive physiological stress. Prioritizing posture will help ensure the intended muscles are being worked to achieve the desired benefits and avoid injury (Hlavenka, 2017).
The Link between Posture and Pain
Posture is the way one’s body is positioned statically or dynamically throughout the neck and spine. Posture is a part of form, but form is going to be more specific to each movement and focus on the extremities. Good posture can be simply defined as the alignment and ability of one to maintain a neutral neck and spine position (Harvard Health, 2014). The spine has a natural curve to it, the first thoracic vertebra is the most anteriorly tilted vertebrae while the first lumbar vertebrae is the most posteriorly tilted (Lafage, 2020). These tilts appear as a slight ‘S’ shaped curve through the neutral spine position. It may be easier to think about each vertebrae stacked on top of one another. A good way to assess one’s standing posture is to view them from the side. If the subject has good posture, we would observe the ear, shoulder top, hip, knee, and ankle lined up vertically (Harvard Health, 2014).
“Good posture develops self-esteem. Good posture helps you and your clothes look good. It helps your heart, breathing and digestive system work properly. [Posture] helps to prevent strain and injury in sport and other activities. It makes you less tired because you use less energy” (Yamak, 2018). When you look comfortable and feel comfortable, standing up,moving, and doing daily activities improves your quality of life. Yamak says that the “best way to improve posture is to focus on exercises that strengthen your core- abdominal and low back muscles-your spine and pelvis”. Focusing on the muscles of the trunk that help extend and flex your spine will support the strength and stability of the spine and pelvis making it easier to maintain a proper upright posture.
Flexibility, Posture and Tension
The improvement of flexibility in the extremities will also help to release tension from the trunk muscles. It is important to think of the body as a chain. Sometimes this is referred to as a “kinetic chain.” To understand how to improve one part may take maintenance to another distal part. “Abdominal muscles originate from ribcage and insert on pelvis and are an important role in maintenance of upright posture” (Asgaonkar, 2012).
When you think of posture, the first thought is the spine, but the abdominal muscles play a critical role in upright posture. The anterior muscles will help to stabilize the posterior muscles, conversely the same is true. Most large muscles in the body will have an antagonist and protagonist relationship. Meaning that if one is flexed the other is relaxed and vice versa. This is important to note because, for example, if there is an imbalance and your lower back musculature is chronically flexed and tight, then your abdominal muscles will be chronically stretched and relaxed inevitably causing weak abs and a muscular imbalance. This concept applies to all parts of the body, but the trunk is critical because of how impactful posture is to the rest of the body.
The Role of Incorrect Posture
Yamak says “Incorrect posture is any position that increases stress on the joints”. As an observer, it is difficult to detect increased stress on joints exclusively through observation of the movement. As a general rule to indicate postural problems, notice if there is excessive flexion, lateral flexion or extension of the spine that is not deliberate during movement.
It is going to be key to focus on the orientation of the head, neck, spine and pelvis. To assess posture during movement, you would observe these areas and how they change throughout the movement. For example, during a squat when you are assessing the movement, it would be important to focus on the course of the hips. We would ideally want to see a neutral position where there is little to no spinal flexion (pelvis tilts posteriorly also called butt wink at the bottom of a squat) or spinal extension (pelvis tilts anteriorly so that there is an excessive arch of the back). Doing this would put extra tension on your lumbar vertebrae, stressing a high risk area for injury. Additionally, not properly putting as much stress on the intended muscles such as rectus femoris, hip extensors, hip flexors, erector spinae and core musculature.
Posture and Strength
“If faulty posture continues and becomes habitual, strength and flexibility imbalances gradually develop” (Asgaonkar, 2012). Performing a squat in a way that does not keep the spine neutral will put excessive strain on spine and lower back muscles. The improper form of the squat also highlights tightness and other potential problem areas of the body. For example, if there is excessive spinal extension then you could also be dealing with tight hip flexors. Using your posture you can help keep tabs on what may need improvement and extra attention in the body.
Posture and Power Output
Strength and flexibility is affected by misaligned posture and so is power. “Sustained faulty posture disturbs the length tension relationship of muscles responsible for maintaining posture” (Asgaonkar, 2012). When length tension relationships of muscles are optimal an athlete can produce the most power. When the quadricep muscle is being loaded for a jump it begins to stretch- called passive tension- as you bend at the knees. “Passive tension can be thought of as the tension produced in an elastic rubber band as it stretches further” (Physiology, 2023).
To produce the most amount of power from the passive tension, the filaments of a muscle cell- actin and myosin- must overlap an ideal amount resulting in larger contractile force production. Imagine you pull the rubber band too far and it snaps or not enough and the spring back is weak. You get the most ‘spring’ from the ‘rubber band’ or in the case of plyometrics a more powerful jump when muscles of the body can lengthen and contract to their full potential (Physiology, 2023). If prolonged poor posture is obstructing the muscle from being able to fully stretch, then you are leaving room on the table for strength and power improvements via the length tension relationship.
Specific Muscles for Posture and Power
The muscles responsible for maintaining posture are extensor (bending backward) and flexor (bending forward) muscles of the trunk. The extensor muscles include the erector spinae, transversospinalis muscles, latissimus dorsi, quadratus lumborum, glutes, and hamstrings. The flexor muscles include oblique muscles, the transverse abdominis, and psoas (Beasley, 2020). Without the optimal length tension relationship of these muscles, an athlete will lose a significant amount of power through movements that include a rotation of the trunk, such as movements like hitting a golf ball, hitting or throwing a baseball, throwing a disk or football. Movements in the transverse plane like these are not limited to sport. Think about the path your body takes when throwing a full trash bag into a garbage can.
Posture and Everyday Activities
Posture gets a lot of attention during activities of daily living. We often have to move in ways that compromise optimal positioning for the spine, such as the example above of throwing a trash bag into a bin. Due to this everyday uncertainty of movement, it is important to train these motions in a controlled setting. This way, when someone does experience a sudden awkward motion of the back, it is not something they haven’t trained their mind and body to handle. Implementing exercises like Jefferson curls that take the spine through excessive-often weighted-flexion, a superman, side bend or crunch regularly into your workout regimen will be beneficial. These movements will all be intended to move the stabilizing back and abdominal muscles through an extended range of motion. Anyone from high performing athletes to sedentary individuals would benefit from these kinds of exercises. If back pain is already an issue then consulting a rehab specialist might be the right option before starting a strength routine incorporating these movements.
You expend extra effort to maintain incorrect posture and improper posture can result in muscle imbalances and pain (Yamak, 2018). On top of this, its overall effects on strength and power may persuade you to consider evaluating your posture during your next session in the gym. If strength is your goal, good posture will aid in better muscle recruitment. For example, during barbell squats, the lower muscles of your back can lift substantially less weight compared to the larger hamstring and quadricep complexes of your leg, so it’s pertinent that you maintain good posture to avoid the excessive stress load on the lower back. The continual practice of good posture strengthens the muscles that help to stabilize the trunk which acts as your body’s natural lifting belt.
Conclusion
As you are lifting, you can follow these good practices to help prevent future postural problems:
- Be aware of the muscles that are doing the lifting.
- Strengthen the body’s ‘natural belt’ or muscles of the trunk to aid in upright posture.
- Make sure that the muscles can be lengthened correctly, meaning to practice full mobility and continually work on flexibility.
- Decrease intensity if form becomes compromised.
Continuing to do resistance training with good posture will help with postural problems in and out of the gym. The positive feedback loop that is created from taking the time to learn proper form and posture increases bodily awareness. This bodily awareness will help to detect future poor posture and prevent injury throughout training and daily activities like the routine activities of getting out of bed in the morning and taking out the trash. It is important to remember not to take the ease of these activities for granted.
References
- Asgaonkar, Bharati, and Rati P. Ghumare. “A study to correlate postural thoracic kyphosis and abdominal muscle strength and endurance.” Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy 6.1 (2012): 19.
- Beasley, Kara, DO. “Soft Tissues of the Lumbar Spine.” Spine-health, www.spine-health.com/conditions/spine-anatomy/soft-tissues-lumbar-spine.
- Burton, A. Kim. “How to prevent low back pain.” Best practice & research Clinical rheumatology 19.4 (2005): 541-555.
- Harvard Health, “Posture and Back Health.” Harvard Health, 9 Mar. 2014, www.health.harvard.edu/pain/posture-and-back-health.
- Hlavenka, Thomas M., Vanessa FK Christner, and Diane E. Gregory. “Neck posture during lifting and its effect on trunk muscle activation and lumbar spine posture.” Applied ergonomics 62 (2017): 28-33.
- Lafage, Renaud, et al. “Understanding thoracic spine morphology, shape, and proportionality.” Spine 45.3 (2020): 149-157.
- Physiology, Skeletal Muscle Contraction – Statpearls – NCBI Bookshelf, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559006/. Accessed 8 Nov. 2023.
- Rainville, James, et al. “Exercise as a treatment for chronic low back pain.” The Spine Journal 4.1 (2004): 106-115.
- Yamak, Bade, et al. “The effects of exercise on body posture.” Electronic Turkish Studies 13.18 (2018).
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