Most of us remember being told to “sit up straight!” or “shoulders back, chin up!” as a child or maybe more so as a teen. While this advice was given with the best intentions, it may not have been that helpful. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating the slumped computer posture with shoulders rounded and head poking forward.

This is certainly not a biomechanically sound posture and can lead to all sorts of dysfunction and pain. In an effort to avoid this unsightly slump, we may find ourselves in a position I call “reverse slumping.” This is the tendency to pull the front lower ribs up and push the chest forward. While this may look more upright, it is an overcorrection, and can be more problematic than helpful.

The Problem

So what’s wrong with a lifted chest and elevated front lower ribs? The problems that arise are largely due to how we breathe, and the important relationship between the ribcage and the pelvis. The Postural Restoration Institute has defined the relationship between the breath and function. Below is my meager take on their extensive understanding of the topic. For more information check out https://www.posturalrestoration.com/.

1. Poor oxygenation. If our front lower ribs are “flared” up and out, the mid-upper back is essentially closed off and becomes flat. This causes many problems, one of which is poor oxygenation. The human body is designed to breathe into the back mid and lower ribs, not just the front. These back middle and lower regions of the lungs have the largest area of lung tissue, and the highest blood flow to lung tissue ratio. This means that this area is very important for getting oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body. When this is closed off (by pushing front ribs up) we are forced to breathe shallowly into our front upper chest, which may recruit neck muscles to help inhale and result in increased neck tension (among other issues). Further, it is harder to get air out because the chest is in a hyper-inflated state. This means less new, oxygen-full air in. Theoretically, if you improve the expansion of your mid back, you will use oxygen more efficiently and fatigue less quickly with sport and daily living.

2. Altered neck and shoulder mechanics. The spine is not meant to be straight, rather it has natural curves that allow a springy quality for shock absorption. When the front ribs are pushed up, the upper back spine becomes flat. This destabilizes the shoulders, as the shoulderblades are designed to function on an egg-shaped surface, not a flat one. As a result, the muscles that manage the shoulderblade cannot function optimally, thereby changing the mechanics of the shoulder in an adverse way. Many of the muscles that attach to the shoulderblades also attach to the neck spine and can create increased tension in the neck area if they are not functioning well.

A flat upper back also burdens the point where the upper back spine meets the neck spine. The neck spine is naturally curved and is designed to follow the curve of the upper back. However, if the upper back is now flat, the spring-like shock absorbing factor is lost. Furthermore, the juncture from upper back spine to neck spine becomes vulnerable due to a sharp corner instead of a nice smooth curve between the vertebrae. This can create pain and sensations of tension in this area.

3. Increased stress levels. When we are stressed, that really means our body is entering a “fight or flight” state, which means that there is some imminent threat, and we need to either fight or get away. Blood is shunted away from the core and immune function and digestion are halted as the body prepares to fight or flee. This threat could be anything from being chased by a mountain lion to a steady drip of small daily stressors, like traffic, aches and pains, worrying about money, etc. Our body simply does not distinguish what the cause of the stress is, the same pathways and neurotransmitters are stimulated in the case of a lion attack or spilled coffee. The “fight or flight state” has its purpose, however it is not healthy to remain in this state for prolonged periods of time.

The part of our nervous system that promotes our “rest and digest” state is governed by the vagus nerve which passes from the brain to the abdomen through the ribcage. This state allows the body to be calm and relaxed, allowing for sleep, healing, and digestion. When we are in this state, our breathing is full and deep, with the diaphragm moving through its full range of motion.(1) This is the state that we should be in most of the time.

So what does this have to do with posture? Well, if we push the front ribs up and close off the back of the ribcage, the sympathetic ganglia (the nerves that promote a “fight or flight” state and live along the upper back spine) become overly stimulated due to compression. Furthermore, with the front ribs elevated, the body is in a constant state of shallow inhales and exhales, which is correlated with higher stress levels and promotes release of stress hormones in the body.(2) What’s really amazing about our bodies is that this system works both ways. That is, just as the state of our nervous system causes our breathing patterns to change, we can similarly alter our nervous system by modifying the way we breathe.

4. Poor recruitment of deep abdominals, especially upon inhale. Even if you have six pack abs, that doesn’t necessarily mean you are using the abdominals in the way they are meant to be used. Deep to the well known “six pack” of the abdominals are deeper muscles that create a cylinder around the center of the body. These are breathing muscles. They attach to the lower rim of the ribcage and the upper rim of the pelvis. They create stability and order within the body as well as reduce pressure on the lower back spine and associated nerves. They allow us to be both stable and mobile when they function correctly.

When the front ribs are excessively elevated, the front of the pelvis is often tipped forward as a counterbalance. This places the deep abdominal muscles in the front of your body in a state of excessive length. Our muscles do not function very well (or hardly at all) from their most lengthened state. It’s like trying to pick up a heavy bag of groceries with your arm totally straight instead of slightly bent. It just doesn’t work as well.

So then what is good posture?

Essentially, your rib cage should be egg shaped, and sit atop your level pelvis. The spine should be lengthened while maintaining its natural curves. In sitting, you can achieve this by:

• Sit in a firm chair with your feet flat, knees and hips at 90 degrees.
• Feel your sit bones (the boney protrusions at the base of your pelvis). You may need to lean forward and back a few times to find where you feel them most. When you are most aware of your sit bones pressing into the seat, this indicates that your pelvis is level. It may feel like your pelvis is slightly “rolled under.”
• With a long, relaxed exhale breath through your mouth, allow your front lower ribs to drop down slightly. Pause a few seconds at the bottom of the exhale. There should be a sense of your front lower ribs coming down to the front top rim of your pelvis.
• Maintain this position as you imagine your lower back ribs expanding with each inhale, and your lower front ribs moving down and back towards your spine with each exhale. Hint: pausing after your exhales for 3 seconds will make it easier to feel back ribs expanding.
• Below is a video on finding a neutral sitting posture.

And there you are! If you are used to pushing your chest up, it probably feels like you are slouching when you come into a correct posture. To assure yourself that you are still sitting straight, you can use a mirror to see that you are indeed not slouching. If you can see yourself from the side in the mirror you may also notice that now you have a little more expansion in your lower back ribs. Good job!

References:

• 1. Russo MA, Santarelli DM, O’Rourke D. The physiological effects of slow breathing in the healthy human. Breathe (Sheff). 2017;13(4):298-309.
• 2. Hirotsu C, Tufik S, Andersen ML. Interactions between sleep, stress, and metabolism: From physiological to pathological conditions. Sleep Sci. 2015;8(3):143-52.
• 3. Tenney, R., KL Boyle, A DeBord. Influence of Hamstring and Abdominal Muscle Activation on a Positive Ober’s Test in People with Lumbopelvic Pain H. Posturalrestoration.com. Accessed January 26, 2019.