Straighten Up!

Why it is important to teach proper posture and body mechanics to a client who has faulty posture and poor body mechanics?  Please provide at least 4 reasons. Next, please provide two examples of how you might either teach or use proper posture and body mechanics in an intervention with your clients

    There are many reasons why it is important to teach a client proper posture and body mechanics. As we all know, good posture helps relieve stress and tension on the body, but it also helps the body to function in its proper designated way. One of the main reasons why it is imperative to teach good posture and/or body mechanics to someone who has bad posture is because it can cause back impairments.  Most back pain is related to bad posture & it  can restrict a person from doing their ADL's and their iADLs. So, teaching someone who has bad posture and way to relieve or reduce the amount of stress on their spine could potentially be a life-changer for the person. An example of how to help teach a client good body mechanics or posture is teaching them the "broom-stick" technique. This technique includes the stick of the broom and making sure it is aligned with the person's spine. Once it is aligned with the spine, the person would make sure that the spine does not deviate from the stick; even if they are bending down to get an object. Another helpful example for a client who may have bad back posture is teaching them "Golfer's Lift". Golfer's Lift is basically helping the spine stay straight; and instead of bending down to pick up a light object, the person sticks one leg out (posteriorly) and the weight is counter-balanced with the femur.    Another reason that it is suggested to teach a person good posture is because bad posture can lead to body ailing or "impaired posture". Impaired posture is a posture that disables the body from doing its function at an optimal level. An example of this would be a person who suffers from excessive thoracic kyphosis; the chest area is deeply concave and the person is not able to inhale a deep breath. Teaching good posture could alleviate this problem and help them obtain their optimal breathing abilities.     Also, teaching good body mechanics/posture could help that client strengthen their muscles. Bad posture/body mechanics weakens certain muscles and causes them to be permanently shortened/extended.  An example of this would be forward head posture; which causes the weakening of your neck extensors.     Lastly, it is important to teach the client good body mechanics, especially with their bad posture, because sometimes they literally can't help it. If the client was a pregnant woman, she would suffer from excessive lordosis, and there is nothing that she could do about it however, the therapist could give her good body mechanics techniques to help alleviate stress. Having her sleep with a pillow between her legs could aid with the stress that she could possibly be experiencing with her back. & spine.