This disease can turn you into a pig
The human body is one of the finest creations of nature. Among all the animals only human beings have the capability to sustain an elegant and erect position. When standing correctly, an adult human has his ears, shoulders, and hips aligned in one vertical line.
This is in stark contrast with four-legged animals whose heads, shoulders, and hips are aligned in one horizontal line. Pig is one prime example of this.
Can you turn into a pig
Yes, metaphorically. Poor sitting, sub-par ergonomics, and muscle imbalance produce a postural abnormality called forward head and rounded shoulder posture. The vertical line of ear shoulder and hip tips horizontally making the alignment of the upper body closer to that of a four-legged animal. This posture stresses the joint, increases the work of the muscles, and redistributes the loads in an abnormal way.
I use the Pig analogy to discourage people from assuming this posture as nobody likes to associate him or herself with this animal.
It’s not the ugliness of this posture that that’s the primary concern. As the head goes forward the effort of the neck muscles increases proportionally. I A Kapandji, a French biomechanics expert found that the apparent weight of the head becomes about 15 kg (30 pounds) heavier if the neck protrudes 3 inches forward. That is like carrying around a bucket full of water in your head, all the time.
Add to that the poor efficiency of the muscles, pain in the neck, and upper back difficulty in moving the joints of the trunk and shoulder and you will understand why this condition should be avoided.
what can you do?
- postural awareness: Sit straight, stand straight, and work in a straight posture. Catch yourself often. How good is your posture right now? Once you develop an internal reference of correctness you will be more likely to maintain a correct posture.
- Chin tucks are extremely useful.do this 10 times per 2 hours.
3. take frequent breaks. one of the reasons why we go into a sinking posture is that our muscles cannot stress prolonged sitting.
Exercises are the mainstay of prevention. I will update about suitable exercises for this condition in the successive posts.
Keep watching this place daily for easy and effective health tips.
About the author
Dr Subhanjan Das (PT)
BPT, MPT (MSk & Sports), CMP(NZ), Diploma in football medicine (FIFA)
Consultant Physiotherapist of Apollo & Reliva Clinic, HSR Layout, Bangalore
Contact: +91 8967549104
Dr Subhanjan Das (PT) has over 14 years of clinical and 12 years of academic experience. A friendly professional with lots of patience and skilful hands, Dr Subhanjan has worked with thousands of his patients for instant relief of pain and rapid return to activities. He has treated elite athletes for recovery, injury prevention and performance enhancement.
Dr Das is specialized in Orthopaedic and sports physiotherapy and has keeps himself updated with the latest advancements in the field of physiotherapy. He has undergone training on advanced orthopaedic techniques such as Dry Needling, Mulligan Concept, McKenzie method, Pilates, Cupping therapy, McConnel and kinesio taping from the best faculties around the world.
Dr Das has taught in 5 universities across India and has trained physiotherapists in 50+ workshops within and outside India.
Tq for aware us about our posture sir
Highly relevant topic. As a victim of poor posture, will look forward to the episode when you talk about the corrective exercises.
Thank you! Will update today.
Thank you so much for these information..it will help us alot