Laying a Postural Foundation

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vermonter

Active Member
May 15, 2015
186
220
In another thread, I had the following request in regards to laying a postural foundation before engaging heavily in strength and conditioning endeavors:

Can you make a post about this? Im not sure what that entails.
Now, the reality of what this means varies heavily from person to person. It is, however, largely goal-independent, which means I can offer some general advice to suit anyone, regardless of what they're after.

Most people (particularly in Western countries) have common syndromes associated with frequent sitting. These issues often include (but do not always, and are not limited to): chronically lengthened hamstrings, diaphragm, rectus abdominis, and internal femoral rotators; chronically shortened and inactive gluteals; and chronically shortened and hyperactive gastrocs, hip flexors, and spinal erectors. There is typically sidedness associated with these issues as well. These issues also radiate to the upper body frequently, including a host of shoulder, neck and jaw problems.

Without being too specific, strengthening the chronically lengthened muscles is the single most important thing you can do, although this isn't always easy. I'll make another post about it, as now I'm about to head home for the evening.
 
Feb 28, 2015
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Yes. I've got all of the above and then some from a desk jockey career. And as of late had some gnarly lower back stuff pop up that appears to be partially caused by psoas imbalance, and one hip sitting higher than the other, I believe the two are related. And the psoas isn't the easiest thing to get at either so if you're up for sharing tips in that area, would be much obliged!

I'll note that in the past 2 weeks the lower back issues went from partially debilitating to an occasional nag and I actually fell off my mobility, stretching and foam rolling during that time but did cut out all inflammatory foods. Now with the inflammation at bay, getting back into some good movement work I think will really get me sorted and feeling good and mobile again.
 

vermonter

Active Member
May 15, 2015
186
220
girlandcoconut @girlandcoconut Well, as I mentioned there is a sidedness issue that typically crops up, for a variety of reasons. Handedness is one reason. Your heart being on one side of your body is another. Sometimes favoring injuries initiates the issue as well.

The reason I didn't specifically mention remedies for this is that the potential reasons why you may have one higher hip are too numerous to offer general advice without actually seeing you. E.G. maybe you have one longer leg. Or maybe one leg turns out slightly more, and as a result the foot is flatter there, making that leg functionally shorter. Postural Restoration teach would say that this can come from one lung being larger than the other, creating an imbalance in rib extension, which affects the arms and spine because you shift your hips to have the best leverage for doing things. Most likely, it's some combination of these.

I plan to detail some simple exercises for sure, but they probably won't address the sidedness issue for these reasons. One common bit of advice is to stand on your left foot instead of your right for a while (the most common, even for left handed people), to take your first step after standing still with your right, and to wear your purse/bag/etc on the opposite shoulder. It's no cure, but the exercises to correct typical postural sidedness are very complex.