SHARES
There are many benefits to maintaining a correct posture. For instance, good posture prevents backaches and abnormal shifting of the spine, and decreases stress on our ligaments and wear and tear of our joints.
However, maintaining good posture is easier said than done. We often fall back into our old (and bad) habits like slouching while sitting and/or walking. Here are 3 simple steps from Physionique to help us maintain proper posture by ourselves:
Step 1: Stand in front of a mirror
This is a useful step as standing in front of a mirror allows us to be aware of what is incorrect and what is correct. We can use postural images and manual cues to help us adjust our posture.
Step 2: Consult a therapist
Once patients understand what is wrong with their posture, they should be able to correct it with a physiotherapist’s help and guidance. They should practise the correction 10 times, and eventually build up this practice to 3 sets.
Step 3: Make it a habit
With the personalised guidance from their therapists, patients can now self-correct and make a habit of the new posture or movement with less conscious thought.
Learning and upholding good posture techniques requires self-discipline, and it helps when patients are:
- Motivated by goals (e.g. pain relief, being able to do a favourite activity easily)
- Focused and practises the movement enough times for muscle memory to take over
- Able to use visual cues and imagery to self-correct (e.g. imagining growing taller)
- Confident that they can do corrections properly
- Able to perform self-evaluation of the effectiveness of the corrections
Similarly, it is also important that the posture training is meaningful for patients.
This article was contributed by Physionique. Physionique is a physiotherapy clinic in Singapore that offers an array of services from physiotherapy to podiatry and sports massage and rehabilitation programmes. You can find and book an appointment with any of Physionique’s therapists with GetDoc.
by waiyee
Film junkie. Matcha drinker. Dog lady. Will write for food. View all articles by waiyee.
