Pilates and the Perfect Posture Myth
what’s the story about posture?
The spine...it's a beautiful structure, designed to support our bodies throughout life is segmented into 3 sections -
Cervical with 7 smaller, finer vertebra with a slight concave shape
Thoracic with 12 vertebrae with a slight convex shape
Lumbar with 5 larger, more robust vertebra with a slight concave shape
Our amazing spines are designed to allow us to move in 4 key ways -
Flexion (forward bending)
Extension (back bending)
Rotation (twist)
Lateral flexion (side bending)
spine-4-views
Attached to the lumbar spine is the pelvic girdle, consisting of the sacrum, coccyx (tailbone) and the pelvic bones. Your posture type is based on lifestyle factors as well as a group of muscles which change the shape of the spine and pelvis. I’d like to start by saying, there is no such thing as a normal or 'ideal' posture! The current evidence is simply not there to support this notion. Our curves are all a little different based on how we were born, our movement patterns, lifestyle, hereditary factors, stress levels and personality and it also changes over the course of our lives. Pilates is amazing at highlighting our unique posture type due to which movements we find naturally easier or more challenging but this isn’t a sign that there is something about your posture that needs ‘correcting’.
‘What’s this?’, I hear you say. You’ve been hearing us bang on for years about correcting posture and ideal posture and improving your posture. You’re right, we sure did! This was based on the scientific evidence that we had which was current at that time. We now now that posture does not equal pain and the current evidence shows us that there is no ideal or perfect posture type - how great is that? Your Pilates practice will build strength, balance out muscles and get your spine moving in all the ways it was designed to, and should move. Joe Pilates knew what he was talking about when he said, “Change happens through movement and movement heals“ and “You are only as young as your spine is flexible”.
What is important to point out is that any ‘posture’ that you are in for too long may not be beneficial to you. The key is to keep moving - any posture can be painful if we stay in it for extended periods of time. The evidence is overwhelming however in current studies, which show that posture is not the problem when it comes to pain. Ever heard of text neck? It’s a bit of a dig at Gen Z and their stereotypical use of smart phones. The European Spine Journal conducted a study on neck pain in 18 - 21 year olds and found that the rise in neck pain couldn’t be attributed to the ‘text neck’ posture. In another study on general posture in sitting and standing positions, the evidence showed that the majority of pain free individuals actually slump! Kinda goes against everything you thought you knew about posture right?
What we know about posture based on research, is that it is very challenging to measure accurately and that it changes - a lot. Studies also highlight that our posture is not linked to pain but is very often blamed for pain experienced by a lot of people. If you take anything from my blog today it’s that regular movement is something to be done for the love (so find something you enjoy) and knowledge that you are getting stronger and will increase your health, strength and wellbeing. Pilates is a beautiful skill to develop and is very enjoyable if you can remove the pressure of perfection and let the method do the work. You are beautifully unique and don’t need to strive to attain a certain aesthetic based on the idea that once reached, life will be somehow better. It’s time to embrace all the curves of your spine and rest easy knowing that a little slumping ‘aint going hurt anyone.
Belinda Survilla is the Pilates & Co. studio manager and takes regular classes group reformer, small groups and private sessions at the Miami studio
The change of cervical spine alignment along with ageing in asymptomatic population: a preliminary analysis, European Spine Journal. (2017)
Thoracic and lumbar posture behaviour in sitting tasks and standing. Applied Ergonomics. (2016)