The previous section was an introduction to anatomy. We discussed which tissues (bones, cartilage, muscles, nerves, etc.) constitute the human body, and how they can get damaged.
The present section is a difficult one. My experience is that those who have experienced (or are experiencing) postural revalidation will make good use of the following pages. Those who have not yet experienced it may find here food for thoughts, and hopefully some motivation to go and consult a specialist, before falling in the previous category.
The aim here is to explain what is, in view of the above, a healthy posture. The discussion may sometimes sound a bit theoretical, but the next section is much more practice-oriented. The healthy posture advocated here arises from the analytic work and clinical experience of Ans Samama, who named it the "monkey posture".
A common mistake when trying to correct one's posture is to lack structure: Many therapists observe rightly that their patients' head is forward, but do not see that it cannot be put back in place if the spine, the hips and the legs are not in place themselves. In other words, posture has to be analysed like an architect would analyse the construction of a building: The foundations first, then the floors starting by the lowest ones, and finally the roof.
Therefore, I will explain in the next pages how you your legs should be to ensure that your hips remain under control and how your hips should be for protecting your spine, first statically and then dynamically.
At the end of this section, you should have understood that to to limit "one's global risk" to damage his body, the following rules have to be followed:
- When carrying out a risky activity (computer, playing music, carrying a load, remaining in the same posture for a prolonged period, etc), the so-called "monkey posture" is the only safe one;
- When assuming any other posture, one should be careful not to do anything dangerous AND not to keep this unsafe posture for too long.
Don't forget, though, that movement is necesary to keep the blood flowing. Therefore, change posture regularly, but stop carrying out any dangerous activity as soon as you leave a healthy posture.
