Posture, How it Develops, and why Standing is Important

Posture

We divide the whole body in two sections. The first one is the segments which include the head, trunk, pelvis, lower limbs and the second one is the linkages between all of them such as the spinal joints, hips, knees, ankle and shoulder joints.

Human posture is influenced by many factors:

• muscle tone (high or low)
• body shape and size (height and weight)
• gravity
• the surface
• the task in hand

Also, the posture is influence by 3 major point :

• comfort
• stability
• function (example : the ability to play, use communication devices or do schoolwork)

In the absence of stability, the function is compromise and the body can’t work correctly. However, stability can only be achieved with some degree of comfort. Function could be achieved in the absence of comfort or minimal stability, but it won’t last long. The balance must be struck between comfort, stability and function. Therefore posture is important because it supports a vast range of daily functions, in addition to supporting internal processes such as breathing, vision, digestion, circulation, temperature regulation. Humans need to be able to operate in a variety of environments, for a variety of reasons and hold themselves upright against gravity.