Fitness: Does exercise improve posture?

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Wouldn’t it be great if fixing your posture was as simple as following your mom’s advice to “sit up straight” and “sit your shoulders back”?

That’s not to say Mom’s advice is unfounded. Both tactics are effective in getting her body to align. But it takes more than an occasional postural reset to make up for years of slouching at work and at home, staring at your phone, and spending hours at a poorly designed workstation.

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Sedentary activities are not the only habits that destroy posture. The repetitive demands of certain sports lead to imbalances in strength and flexibility that eventually disrupt alignment. If left unchecked, discomfort, compromised balance, and joint and muscle tension negatively affect athletic performance, especially among those who demand more from their body. A swimmer’s rounded shoulders, a gymnast’s swaying lower back, and tight hip flexors in runners are examples of musculoskeletal imbalances that arise from years of repeating the same movement patterns.

Sometimes it is easy to see where the posture has failed. But even those who exhibit good posture while standing can become misaligned during movement, meaning there are static and dynamic aspects of good posture. It is these nuances that have fostered much debate over what is the best method to ensure that the head, neck, shoulders, ribcage, pelvis, legs and feet are stacked comfortably on top of each other.

Since most experts attribute poor posture to muscle imbalances, it makes sense to suggest that stretching and strengthening exercises can correct postural errors. Strengthening weak muscles and lengthening tight ones seems like an obvious strategy, but some people use braces or taping to correct alignment.

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To learn more about the effectiveness of exercise on posture, a trio of Brazilian researchers reviewed 22 studies focused on exercise-related treatment options for common types of postural dysfunction (head forward, rounded shoulders, curvature of the spine). Their goal was to gather information about the details of the intervention, including which muscles should be targeted, how often they should be stretched or strengthened, how many repetitions offer the best results, and how long it takes before posture improves.

Most studies included strengthening and stretching exercises and reported positive changes in posture between two and eight weeks after starting the routine. Three sets of 12 to 15 repetitions of strengthening and stretching exercises held for 30 seconds offered the best improvements in neck and shoulder alignment, as long as the exercise routine was performed a minimum of twice a week.

Yoga and Pilates also showed positive results in correcting specific postural deficiencies and aligning the entire body. Both practices included static and dynamic stretching and strengthening exercises using body weight as the primary source of resistance. In the case of Pilates, foam balls and rollers were also used to increase the range of motion of the joints and the intensity of the exercise.

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Peter Levidis, a Montreal-based athletic therapist and strength coach, treats postural deficiencies in athletes and desk jockeys. He says most people ignore their posture until they feel pain. He also says that injuries are another cause of postural problems, as body structures compensate, often to the detriment of alignment, to avoid pain associated with the injury. Sometimes posture improves as the injury improves. But poor postural habits acquired while suffering an injury often persist long after the pain goes away.

Levidis prescribes a variety of stretching and strengthening exercises based on the specific problem, but also praises Pilates and yoga. But above all he is a fan of prevention.

“I can prescribe the best exercises on the planet, but they won’t work if you don’t change your habits,” he said.

Levidis emphasizes the importance of incorporating more movement breaks throughout the day, which she wishes would become as ingrained a habit as brushing our teeth. The more interruptions we make to our sedentary routine, the less likely it is that our body will stay in an unhealthy position for too long. Get up and stretch, go for a walk or do a couple of light tasks – the idea is not to break a sweat but to break the routine.

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The same advice applies to the active set. Incorporate movement patterns that provide relief from your regular exercise routine into your daily training program. Cross-train, add mobility exercises to your warm-up and/or cool-down, and consider augmenting your training regimen with yoga or Pilates.

You also have to be patient. Levidis says that when it comes to realigning the body, progress is slow. He videotapes his clients to provide before-and-after evidence, as changes tend to occur in small increments and can go largely unnoticed. But with patience and an effective daily exercise and movement routine, the head slowly resets over the shoulders, the shoulders over the hips, the hips over the knees, and the knees over the ankles. Movement becomes freer, pain dissipates and sports performance improves.

Perfect posture is always a work in progress, so don’t ignore your mother’s advice to sit up straight and lean your shoulders back.

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