By: Katie Reynolds, PT, DPT
Pelvic PT/Women’s Health
Do you remember when you were little and having your mother or grandmother fussing at you about your posture? Head up! Shoulders back! Ugh, just wanted to roll my eyes but as I have gotten older, man were they right!
Posture is so important for so many things, and not just for appearances at the dinner table. With our ever-changing society with computers, cell phones, cars, computer/desk work, etc it is more important now than ever to have good posture. So you are probably thinking well that is great for my head and upper body but how does that affect my pelvis? Think of the pelvis as the bottom of the bowl (and your core), if it is tilted you are going to spill your contents!
In standing, your ear should be in line with your shoulder which should then line up with your hip bone and then down to your ankle bone. In this position, you are putting your pelvis in neutral therefore all your muscles are able to work properly. If you have round shoulders, this will cause your lower back to round and tilt your pelvis up only allowing you to activate part of your pelvic floor muscles and core. This is very important with dealing with any form of incontinence, even the very so slight of losing a few drops with sneezing.
By maximizing muscle contraction, you can strengthen properly and improve your core strength and stability. Form is everything when exercising! So remember, it doesn’t matter the number of reps or amount of weight that is used, if you maintain good posture you will see improvements in everyday life!
