Within the world of performance training and strength and conditioning, there are several evaluation methods used to determine body function and positioning. Some practitioners choose a variety of different methods while other stick to one comprehensive assessment that might contains pieces of many.
After studying athletes from the youth ranks through the professional ranks and walking through many malls and mass people depots throughout the United States, there are several commonalities which exist:
1. People have very poor posture.
2. People are unaware that they have bad posture, which contributes to daily pain and breakdown over time.
The above have been the driving forces behind our programming for a number of years. Understanding the relationship between posture and injuries has led us to many advances in corrective protocols. It has also helped us understand how sometimes the core exercises, such as squats, deadlifts, and bench presses, might have more negative effects than positive ones in certain situations and that at times our training and field research have actually hurt our athletes.
The analysis of posture; shoulder, head, pelvic, and foot positioning; torso length; and body sway have given us tremendous insight into the bodies of our athletes and clients. The ability to understand the underlying cause of the above will allow us to resolve daily pain caused by negative stress, which leads to poor joint functioning and negative movement patterns.
Postural assessment point: Forward head positioning
Summary of restriction: With this syndrome, the client will experience tightness throughout the upper trap, upper pec, scalene, and neck.
Summary of correction: This shortening on the anterior side needs to be lengthened and immediately followed by strengthening in order to maintain the new position. The lengthening should be performed by a soft tissue specialist while the corrective strengthening/positioning should take place post-tissue work.
Postural assessment point: Forward rounded shoulders
Summary of restriction: This syndrome has caused the scapula to protract, the shoulders to elevate, and the pec to shorten while also placing stress on the musculature of the neck, particularly the anterior side. In addition, the lower trap and posterior musculature becomes lengthened and weakened.
Summary of correction: Prior to strengthening to posterior, the pec should be released and stretched along with the trap and neck musculature. This should be immediately followed by reeducating the scapula to orientate itself in a down and back motion with retraction.
Postural assessment point: Anterior pelvic tilt
Summary of restriction: Anterior pelvic tilts are caused by shortening of the hip flexors and weakening of the core stabilizers. It’s typically associated with a sedentary lifestyle and seated postures. The pelvis anterior rotates, causing extra lengthening of the hamstrings and further weakening of the anterior abdominals.
Summary of correction: Utilizing a soft tissue practitioner, the first action needed is to release the psoas and hip flexor complex. This should be followed by pelvic tilting exercises, focusing on tucking the tailbone. In addition, this tucking can be combined with anterior reach patterns, which will take place while the pelvis is tucked and the glutes are being activated or squeezed. The glutes typically become deactivated or inhibited as a result of anterior tilting.
Postural assessment point: Externally rotated foot position
Summary of restriction: Externally rotated feet and glute shortening have been found to be related. In addition, we have been also seeing decreased internal rotation of the hip as a result of this condition as well. Many people will have one foot pointing straight while the other is externally rotated, showing that the individual is lacking right side/left side symmetry. Often times, this leads to breakdown over time.
Summary of correction: With this foot position, a soft tissue specialist should be focusing on releasing the glute and psoas/hip flexor complex while at the same time releasing and stretching the internal hip rotators. This should be followed by glute stretching, mini-band abduction with an internally rotated foot, and hip extension with an internally rotated foot. In addition, these athletes/clients will also complain of tightness in the thoracolumbar junction, which would also release with soft tissue work and torso lengthening exercises.
The above are the basic postural conditions that will provide a road map to a structured corrective exercise and training program designed to limit day to day discomfort and the potential for breakdown and damage to joints over time.
Throughout the years, the integration of soft tissue protocols, most effectively implemented by a soft tissue/active release professional, have assisted greatly in creating morphological changes to tissue and structural positioning. For those who don’t have access, the pressing of trigger points coupled with self myofascial techniques and tools will elicit some very positive gains when combined with flexibility and strengthening immediately after.
The system that we have instituted is:
1. Inhibit via fascial work
2. Lengthen via flexibility
3. Activate dormant or inhibited muscle to reestablish neural drive
4. Integrate using exercises that reinforce the above to “hold” the changes in place
In layman’s terms, we want to relax the muscle, lengthen or stretch it, and then turn on the muscles that have been shut off as a result of this negative posture. Then, follow up by strengthening the muscles that have been turned off while at the same time lengthening the shortened muscles that caused the inhibition.
This is a simple strategy that has proven to work well over time to create long lasting results. This four-step process can be done during “corrective” based sessions. It can also be built directly into an individualized training program using four-step clusters to reduce total session time. Each integrated exercise should be a complex exercise depending on what the athlete’s assessment showed as being the negative postural syndrome.