POSTUROLOGY - AN INTRODUCTION

When we talk about posture, everyone thinks they know what they're talking about. But when we clarify the terms and talk about the postural system, suddenly the questions arise.

Here is an overview of these basic concepts.

First, we need to define what posturology is. If we break down the term, we can say that it is the study of posture. However, we need to go further by defining exactly what posture is.

Commonly, when a parent tells their child (usually a teenager!) "stand up straight, watch your posture or you'll get back pain", they are officially asking their young person to adopt a proper posture.

When an employee who finds themselves working remotely from home has their workstation adapted to have a better posture in front of the computer, they are actually having their positioning adapted.

The difference?

Positioning (ergonomics) or postural attitude are voluntary, conscious.

Posture, also known as the upright postural system, is a fundamental concept underlying the functioning of the human body when standing. Posture management is involuntary, as it is controlled by the autonomic nervous system, and is largely unconscious.

The postural system is what allows us to stand upright without having to consciously contract specific muscles to avoid falling. It enables us to interact with our environment, for example, to lean to the right without falling to the right or to climb stairs without falling on our backs.

Have you ever dropped your head and had it fall forward, saying "oops, excuse me, I forgot to hold my head up!" No… How is it that your head (and therefore your entire spine) stays upright without getting tired and that you don't need to think about it, unlike your right arm which you lift and which will eventually drop from fatigue if you stop paying attention to it?

The difference lies in the type of muscle. The human body is made up of several types of muscles, including phasic and tonic muscles. Phasic muscles are conscious, voluntary, and fatigue-prone (the ones we work out at the gym). Tonic muscles, on the other hand, are involuntary, tireless, and unconscious. These latter muscles control the position of our vertebrae, and therefore our upright posture (when standing).

Types of muscles

Diagrammed here, the vertebrae are in blue, the tonic (postural) muscles are in yellow, and the phasic muscles (those generally known and worked on) are in green.

In summary, working with posturology involves acting on the upright postural system, which, like any system, can present deficits, disturbances, and problems. Acting on the postural system means acting on the foundations of the upright human body, through the nervous system.

Reading "Postural Entries - Overview" will allow you to learn more about what, in the nervous system, is involved in postural control.