Proper Postural Alignment

Many people today complain of feeling aches and pains  in their neck and shoulder or low back.

In most cases these aches and pains are due to postural mis-alignment. 

In the diagram to the side, the first image displays the most common postural mis-alignment people present with.

Looking from the top down, you can see the head is carried in front of the centre line of the body, while the back shows a distinctive curve forward and the pelvis is being carried in front of the midline of the body.

This presentation is largely due to muscle imbalances around the major joints of the body, specifically the shoulders and hips. This imbalance can be traced to our sedentary lifestyle and our dependance the computer.

When seated for hours at a time, our hip flexors tend to become functionally short and leaning toward the key board causes our pecs to become functionally short as well.

The best way to avoid developing these mis-alignments (other then quitting your job and moving to the country) is to make time in your day to stretch the hip flexors and pecs out. Ideally you would stretch twice a day at a minimum, once in the morning before work and once in the evening after work. 

If the posture has become deeply rooted in your body, you may also need to strengthen the muscles of your back to help hold your shoulders back.