Straighten Up! Improving Your Posture On my top ten list of “items to improve on,” posture improvement would be toward the top. I admire those with great posture, the straight-backed ones that make holding their head up and shoulders back look effortless. I often don’t sit up straight at my desk, leaning forward, I tend to slouch, often allowing my spine to relax and shoulders to fall forward. Talk about a physical therapist’s nightmare. Can you teach an old dog new tricks? In an attempt to avoid resembling Quasimodo, I thought I would test out the age old question and seek the advice of some experts on ways to improve my posture. Amanda Adamson, PT, DPT, OCS and Lisa Huber, PT, both from Lewis and Clark Orthopedic and Sports Therapy along with Amber Jansen, PT with Peloton Physical Therapy provided me with the answers I sought out. “The good news is that you can improve your posture at any age but it is important to work on it earlier than later,” Huber said, putting my mind at ease and giving me hope for a straighter look. The consensus among the therapists was that good posture takes practice. Jansen explained that sitting or standing, you should attempt to maintain the natural arch in your lower back. Think: ears over shoulders. Exercises Though there are exercises to improve posture, Adamson recommended to check with your doctor first before starting any exercise routine. First, check your own posture by standing in front of a mirror. Then attempt to allow yourself to slouch or slump forward as much as possible before standing up tall again. This will give you an idea of how much you favor bad posture. I admit, I was reluctant to do this as I didn’t want to see how bad my posture really was. Fortunately, they gave guidance on exercises to help: Adamson suggested the following exercises to assist in posture improvement: • To improve neck alignment: stand or sit tall and attempt to pull your chin toward your spine, hold a few seconds. Repeat 10 times. • To improve trunk spinal alignment: With hands on the wall at shoulder height or while on your hands and knees, practice the cat (round out your back) and camel (relax your back attempting to arch it downward). Repeat 10 times. • To improve rounded shoulders/rounded back: squeeze your shoulder blades together by pulling your shoulders back and downward, repeat 20 times slowly. 3?6????34?????3???3 ????????? Morgen Square 12vHERVOICEvMAY/JUNE 2016 605.260.5003