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Exercises for Posture

Good posture makes you look younger, takes years off your appearance, and evokes an image of confidence and health. By using the exercise ball for exercises for posture, you strengthen the muscles that support good posture. As they strengthen, sitting or standing up straight will feel like less of an effort.


 Over time poor posture will cause

  • back pain
  • spinal dysfunction
  • joint and disc degeneration
  • rounded shoulders and resulting shoulder pain
  • protruding abdomen
  • muscular imbalances
  • nerve compression
  • forward positioning of the head


I find when I discuss posture with patients that some of them get defensive. It takes them back to a time when their parents scolded them: "sit up straight". But, after I explain to them why it is so important, they quickly understand that it is often simply their posture that may be the source of their pain. Exercises for posture can help.



Different Muscle Fibre Types have Different Roles


The deep postural muscles contain a large proportion of slow twitch muscle fibres. These fibres are capable of contracting for long periods without tiring. Poor posture demands the support of the fast twitch muscle fibres which tire quickly creating muscle fatigue and pain. Over time, excessive use of the fast twitch fibres leads to wasting of the slow twitch fibres causing a reduction in joint stability and poor mechanics.

When standing up straight, ligaments are not under tension, fast twitch muscle fibres do not work excessively to hold you up and joints are in a relaxed position. On the contrary if your center of gravity is forward or back of where it should be, muscles need to work excessively to prevent you from falling over. This leads to muscle fatigue and pain. If ligaments are kept in a stretched position for prolonged periods, they will lengthen, causing pain and joint instability over the long term.


From a side view, good posture is seen as the head balanced over the shoulders as though an imaginary line runs from the ear through the shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle. From the front, shoulders and hips should be level, head straight, knees face straight ahead and ankles are straight.

The best way to determine if you have good posture is to have a postural evaluation from a physical therapist. They will identify muscular imbalances that could lead to poor posture. Physical therapists have special skills to evaluate and treat postural problems.
perfect posture

Check your posture.

Tips for maintaining good posture.








Exercises for Posture

exercises for posture
Prone Trunk Rotation Stretch
exercises for posture Supine Hamstring Stretch
exercises for posture Supine Back Extension Stretch
exercises for posture Lunge Stretch
exercises for posture Supine Pec and Subscapularis Stretch
exercises for posture Glute Stretch
exercises for posture Prone Back Extension
exercises for posture Pike Over the Ball
exercises for posture Reverse Bridge Twist
exercises for posture Superman
exercises for posture Pelvic Tilt
exercises for posture Pelvic Lateral Shift
exercises for posture Seated Leg Raise
exercises for posture Back Extension1
exercises for posture Rolling Plank 1
exercises for posture Reverse Bridge Leg Raise
exercises for posture Hip Crunches
exercises for posture Squat
exercises for posture Bridging
exercises for posture Side Bridging



SoftForm Posture Brace

SoftForm Posture Brace

Posture support brace may be worn while sitting or during activity to correct and control poor posture and prevent slouching. For Men and Women. Soft Form brand. Correct poor posture!The Posture Control Brace gently pulls the shoulders back and holds them in the proper position for correct alignment of the spine. It limits the forward and downward movement of the shoulders to prevent slouching. Elastic side panels give cool compression and stabilization to the abdominal and lumbar regions and overlap to contour the body for an adjustable. customized fit. Also features two flexible plastic stays. adjustable elastic shoulder straps. and soft materials. May be worn beneath clothing. while sitting. or during activity to correct and control poor positioning or posture. For Men and Women. Latex free. Complete wear and care instructions are included. Color: Beige. Soft Form brand.


Common Posture Types

I    Swayback Deformity


With this deformity the hips are forward and to maintain balance the thoracic spine rounds. The person with this posture may also have tight hip extensors and rotators and tight hamstrings. This person may have weak hip flexors, weak lower abdominal muscles, and weak scapular stabilizers. Athletes with this posture lack power and the ability to make explosive movements.

II    Hyperlordotic Posture


Someone with this posture has excessive stress on their lower back due to increased curvature in the lower back and anterior tilt to the pelvis. This can be caused by weak lower abdominal musculature. Shoulders typically sag forward,, thighs will rotate inward, and the head will protrude forward to maintain balance. Someone with this type of posture will typically have weak lower abdominals and tight hip flexors. Shortened hip flexors will result in shortened stride in a runner and therefore cause you to run slower.

III    Flattened Back Posture


This posture is characterized by a decrease in the lumbar lordosis. Someone with this posture usually has tight hip muscles and weak lower back and hip flexors. These altered postures can result in poor movement patterns leading to pain and injury.



Posture and the athlete


Posture by definition is the position of your body assumed for a specific purpose. If you have bad posture you will not be as effective as an athlete. You need to get in and out of certain positions in your sport, and you will need effective posture for jumping, sprinting, cutting, etc. Without the use of efficient postures you may be increasing your chances of injury.

The type of posture you have will determine which muscles are weak and which are tight. Optimal postural alignment helps provide good shock absorption and assists in energy transfer during movement.

The foundation of any defensive movement is the athletic or position specific stance. If this stance is poorly constructed any subsequent movement will be slower. Any sport that requires a defensive stance must allow for the best possible movement speed out of the stance in any direction. If this stance is faulty it will cause you to lose lateral quickness because you cannot engage your hip muscles effectively. This puts more strain on the knees.

From the Side
The spine should be straight and the hips bent in a "hip-hinged" position. One method to assess if you have proper defensive position is to take a stick (hockey stick, golf club, dowel, etc) and place it on the players back. Position it so that it touches the buttocks and the back of the head. As the player assumes the defensive position and hinges at the hips, the stick should stay on the player's back. If the athlete bends at the waist, the stick will move off of the lower back. This indicates poor posture when assuming the defensive position.

From the Front
To assess the correct position of the knees you need to observe the athlete from the front as he squats. The knees should remain centered over the second toes. If the knees drift inward, the likely cause is unawareness of correct technique or weakness in the hips. This faulty movement can cause poor tracking of the knee caps resulting in reduced jumping power and patellofemoral injuries.


Faulty postures as discussed above are important to the athlete because:
  1. These faulty postures may cause muscular imbalances in the athlete affecting athletic performance
  2. These postures may make it difficult for the athlete to assume the defensive position effectively
  3. If the hips are not in the ideal position, the muscles are not at their ideal length to contract and therefore functionally weaker, putting more stress on the knees.
As an athlete you must always be aware of your posture. This knowledge, combined with knowing how to achieve a good defensive position will instantaneously make you move better.


For Example:

Baseball Stance

The stance of an infielder during a pitch must allow for a quick linear, lateral, and angular movement in any direction. This could be to catch a grounder, or line drive, or make a quick throw to base. Here are some key points that must occur during the infielder stance:

  1. The feet must be slightly wider than shoulder width. This is due to the angle of force application. If the feet are too narrow the infielder will not have as powerful of a lateral push due to the initiating angle.
  2. The glove hand will be down preparing for a grounder. The player can make a good play on a hard hit ball, but this posture will also preload the hamstrings and glutes to accelerate forward as quickly as possible. This forward positioning also keeps the infielders weight on the balls of the feet and not sitting back on the heels. If the player is sitting high with the shoulder back the weight gets shifted to the heels and it is therefore difficult to accelerate quickly.






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