THE PROBLEM WITH POSTURE BY JOHN BENNETT Leave a comment

John Bennett discusses the impact that bad posture can have on your brain
Over the last 10 million or so years, we have evolved from simple swamp-dwelling creatures, through to our four-legged (quadrupedal) common ancestors, to a fully bipedal species, now standing proudly and confidently on two legs, chest out with our head held high. This natural evolutionary process, while incredibly slow, also resulted in an amazing adaptation of our brain. The longer our common ancestors stood up on two legs, the more sensory stimulus was received. The result of this was an increase in our brain size, literally tripling in mass and functional capabilities, ultimately leading us to become the most advanced living animal on the planet, able to think beyond instinct, to rationalise, to plan ahead, to work in small and large communities, to remember and record the detailed past, to make tools and invent machines, to work through complex tasks and instruction, and to learn. The latter being exactly as you do every day while standing or sitting at your workstation.

The modern issue with posture

However, despite this truly awe-inspiring history of where we evolved from, there is an enormous ‘modern’ issue with our posture. For many of us, it is subtly de-evolving at an alarming rate… indeed, at the rate of technology. Barely two decades of the internet, smart devices, and screen technology, and it is all having an alarming effect on our posture, head and neck position, gait and brain function. Many are blissfully unaware of the issue, while others wrongly assume that having tech-neck (result of frequent and prolonged neck flexion looking down at mobile devices) is only a musculoskeletal problem – rolled shoulders, head drooping forward in a hunched position. But it isn’t just that, it is scientifically proven to also contribute to a neurological disorder, commonly referred to as digital dementia1 . People’s brains are suffering from bad posture and the overuse of technology. Studies are showing that this is resulting in varying levels of cognitive decline.
Picture someone walking who has suffered a debilitating stroke, or struggles with Parkinson’s. Typically, the gait and posture is rolled shoulders, head forward, arms fixed at the side with minimal swing, shuffling forward. Now picture someone walking along looking at their mobile phone. Most of the movement pattern, or lack thereof, will be the same. The first scenario is in response to a brain trauma or disease. The second, completely self-inflicted by constantly looking at a mobile device, is causing a brain deficit.

Posture system

Do you remember being in lectures and feeling sleepy or disinterested, beginning to slump forward, maybe resting on your elbows and sliding down into your chair? Then your name is called out. What did you do? You would have immediately engaged your posture system, sat up sharply and to attention, back and head straight, literally waking up your brain.
Our brain neurology dictates every movement, from the biggest to the most intricate. It controls structure and function of your posture system, overseeing and refining every single movement that you do on a daily basis, from simply pulling your stool underneath as you sit down, through to the fine motor control needed to create complex dental appliances.

Harness the power of technology

Today many of us spend too many hours looking at screens, some at work, but mostly on social media and sites that interest us, maybe squandering hours of time, receiving gargantuan amounts of mostly one-way, visual and auditory information, but reducing and missing the other senses the brain requires, those being touch, smell, pressure, being in natural outdoor environments, and actual human interactions. No one can deny the increase in global mental health issues with stress and anxiety, and this coincidentally, or not, has increased at the same rate as screen use.
But this is not all doom and fear mongering. Our brains and bodies have an incredible ability to rehabilitate, to heal and to adapt. If stimulated and engaged routinely, our brain neurons will continue to fire and create new synaptic connections until death. The internet, smart phone technology and computers provide spellbinding assistance and benefits to all of our lives. We just need to learn better ways to control our interactivity with it and limit its potentially, negative impact.

Stay in love with your job

MSDs (musculoskeletal disorders) have been, and still are the number one reason for forced early retirement from our profession. Hours, days, months and years of sitting and standing in hunched, forward head posture positions can play havoc on our bodies, often resulting in permanent damage, chasing pain control through medication or regular chiropractic and massage interventions. Indeed, I personally have seen many fall out of love with the profession. They will often put this down to the workload, time at work, fear of litigation, or simply losing love of the daily routine, when in reality it is because they are in pain and don’t equate the two things together.
I cover these aspects in my in-practice training courses and delve deeper into how these issues can be reduced and even avoided completely. My approach to health and wellness in our profession is always simplicity. What can we do in our daily behaviours, to achieve permanent habitual changes that would benefit our health, both mentally and physically.

TOP TIPS TO AVOID BAD POSTURE:

1. Try to keep your working area as close to your sternum height as possible. This will reduce neck flexion and cervical pressure
2. Are you able to stand while working? There are many adjustable workstations now available that can be raised and lowered as required. If a 50/50 sitting/standing workload could be achieved, this would be ideal
3. Try to take regular 30-45 second micro-breaks every 15-20 minutes. Literally, stand up and walk a few paces, and then return. If standing, just take some paces away and back to your workstation. This will increase blood, oxygen and nutrition delivery to your limbs and reduce muscle/tendon fatigue
4. When taking your micro-break, use this opportunity to fully stretch – squat, raise arms, roll shoulders, flex hands, wrists, gently stretch and pull back thumbs, fingers, gently rotate your head left and right… in simple terms move everything!
5. Saddle Stools (ideally with lumbar support) are great for achieving the natural S shape that the lower spine has when we stand, and with a good lumbar support, the temptation for us is to push back into it, thereby positioning and strengthening our backs correctly
6. If possible, get outside more and breathe in some fresh air. The perfect scenario would be to take 15-20 minute walk in your lunch hour, ideally before you eat a ‘light’ lunch.
7. If you find yourself feeling tired as the day draws on, try taking three to five short sharp breaths in and out through the nose, keep your mouth shut. This will trigger your sympathetic ‘fight flight’ response and push the fatigue away. How long for is down to the individual.
8. When looking at your mobile phone, extend your elbows. This simple change of position will raise the height of your mobile thereby raising the position of your head and reducing the flexion in your neck.