A 17 year old girl came to me for help with improving her posture. She said her mother had expressed concern that her shoulders and back were looking rounded and she could also see this herself in the mirror. She was a perceptive young lady who wanted to do something to address her current issue and to prevent this worsening in the future.
At her initial appointment, the first thing that was very apparent was the way she was carrying her head: forward from the top of her spine, which had the knock-on effect of allowing her chest to drop inwards and her upper back to round forwards. She looked collapsed and uncomfortable.
I assessed her movement, by watching how she sat, stood and walked. Her head carriage was forward in all movements. She tensed her shoulders when she stood up and was using her legs inefficiently to stand. When she stood still, she was locking her knees, allowing her pelvis to sway forwards and fixing her eyes on the floor.
After this assessment, we revisited the same movements, but with me guiding her verbally and with touch to indicate where there was unnecessary tension and to encourage a more efficient way of moving. To begin with she felt the difference odd and awkward.
By the end of the appointment, she was moving more freely with a less forward head carriage. This encouraged a release and opening across her chest, which reduced the ‘roundness’ of her shoulders and upper back. Facially, she also looked much brighter.
My homework for her was to practice what we had gone through in the session and when she walked for any distance, to keep her eyes from fixing on the ground.
She returned for a total of six sessions – which she funded herself – and by the end of these she looked taller (she had actually ‘gained’ a couple of centimetres by changing her head carriage), her back and shoulders were much more open and balanced, so her clothes fitted and she looked and felt better.
In addition to this, she commented that she had been amazed at what she was seeing by looking up instead of always down. She said this had made her feel much more confident and this showed in her face and her enthusiasm when she spoke.
If you have a son or daughter, or are a young adult in Basingstoke concerned about your posture and lacking in confidence – contact me.
