Why body posture influences digestion and breathing

It is not enough to keep your back straight. Getting a good posture is somewhat more complex, because it has to do with the system of body pressures. In addition, good posture does not serve only to prevent back pain.

Nowadays you hear a lot about body posture. Everyone talks about its importance, it is a concept on everyone’s lips, but it is broad, ambiguous and poorly defined. What really is good body posture, how is it defined?

WHAT IT MEANS TO HAVE GOOD BODY POSTURE

I want to start by denying that good posture is to put your back straight. Lifelong expressions such as “sit well,” “stand straight,” “get well,” and “breastfeed,” are no longer valid. These are old concepts. We now know that the queen of bone structure is the pelvis, not the spine. The spine is positioned as your pelvis tells you.

If the position of the pelvis is telling the column “Sink”, no matter how much we insist on putting our back straight, we will sink again in a matter of minutes, being very optimistic. But the topic of posture and pelvis deserves a separate article.

Traditionally, poor posture has been associated with back problems. When your back hurts, it’s because your posture isn’t right. Does poor posture mean only back problems? No, definitely not.

Posture is key to avoiding back pain, no doubt, but it goes much further. Posture affects the whole body, on a functional level and also on an emotional level

THE 4 DIAPHRAGMS THAT REGULATE BODY POSTURE

Let’s talk about the basics of posture. The human body, where we see it, is a system of pressures. From the point of view of osteopathy, at the functional level, it is a set of “cylinders”, each with its own pressure. These cylinders are closed by diaphragms. Traditionally we understand by diaphragm the thoracic diaphragm, the respiratory muscle par excellence. But a diaphragm is a concept, not necessarily a muscle. A diaphragm is a horizontal structure that compartmentalizes spaces. In this way, we talk about:

1. Pelvic diaphragm: pelvic floor (closes the pelvis underneath)
2. Thoracic diaphragm: the respiratory diaphragm (separates the abdominal cavity from the thoracic cavity
3. Vocal or laryngeal diaphragm (the floor of the mouth)
4. Cranial diaphragm (the tent of the cerebellum) …
5. The diaphragms have a lot of responsibility in the postural world, especially the respiratory diaphragm. That is why it is always good and necessary to have the diaphragm free and elastic, to breathe well and to keep the pressures in place.
6. To visualize a “good posture” I like the image of an inflatable doll. When it is swollen it remains upright, but not rigid. If the doll is too swollen it will be rigid, it will be little mobile. If it is too deflated it will sink, collapse.
7. Note that a bad posture suggests the image of an inflatable doll with a small pore. It doesn’t collapse, but it lacks tone. The visual sensation it transmits is weight: it weighs the chest; it weighs the head… It is a body that fights against gravity and seems to be losing.
8. Therefore, a bad posture is due to the fact that the doll lacks pressure; It does not depend only on whether the spine is more or less straight.

HOW POSTURE INFLUENCES DIGESTION

1. The relationship of posture and back problems is obvious, but surely the relationship with the digestive system and the respiratory system is not so obvious.
2. The digestive system is delicate, it is the laboratory where the body makes its alchemy and transforms what we eat into food for the cells. It goes without saying how important its optimal functioning is.
3. The current type of food is not a gift for the body: additives, ultra-processed food, gluten everywhere … We are very far from eating what the earth gives, according to country and season of the year. In general, we eat a lot, eat poorly, and usually digest as best we can.
4. It is very common to have the intestines with a slight (or not so slight) inflammation and that means they take up more space. We all know that swollen belly, sensitive or directly painful to pressure. That abdomen indicates that the intestines are not digesting well.
5. To this image of irritated intestines, add that of the doll with a pore through which it loses pressure, all of it slightly fallen on the abdomen, adding extra weight and therefore compression. The bottom line is that the digestive system has to work in harsh conditions. It’s not a good idea to add another stressor.

HOW POSTURE INFLUENCES BREATHING

The thoracic diaphragm is the king of the respiratory world. 70% of the air load during inspiration depends on it. The remaining 30% is in charge of the musculature that opens the ribs.

When the body is unfolded, in good posture, the diaphragm is free to do its job effectively. When the body is sunk, the diaphragm “locks”, it costs much more to move and the respiratory capacity loses efficiency and volume.

Take the test:

• Sit on the edge of a chair, keeping your back straight.
• Check your abdominal breathing. You will surely feel that the abdomen moves freely, without restrictions.
• Now sit badly, on your tailbone (the rump) and with your back hunched over.
• Check your abdominal breathing again, you will notice the difference.

Posture has a direct relationship with respiratory quality and capacity. We will also agree that having the respiratory capacity in optimal conditions is a challenge and a necessity.

Definitely, poor posture goes beyond preventing back pain. Poor posture can create the perfect storm. Don’t allow it. There are many, many ways to change posture… little by little. We will see it in future articles.