Why are we concerned with Posture and Postural Stress?

At Sydney Holistic Dental Centre we believe there are stressors that break us down and pillars of health that build us up. One of these stressors is postural stress and the impact this can have on your health.

Our interest in how posture caused stress to the body started back in 1980 when we first started treating patients for chronic musculo-skeletal pain. At the time we were focusing on how poor occlusion or an imbalance in the bite could cause a person to have headaches, neck or jaw pain. In a sense crowded or imbalanced teeth is a reflection of a postural stress.

A Healthy Bite is Just the Beginning

It soon became apparent that there was more to consider than just bite imbalances, which are surprisingly common in our narrow-jawed modern world with over 95% of the population having insufficient room for the 32 teeth we have evolved to have. People seem to accept this as if it is just a normal part of modern life, and yet to us it says a great deal about our predisposition for chronic degenerative diseases.

If you think that achieving and maintaining good health and wellbeing is about maintaining a balance in our lives, called homeostasis, then the impact that structural or postural imbalances in our bodies, or positions in which we spend many hours a day working, walking or sleeping has on our nervous system can be huge.

The impact on our nervous system, both voluntary and involuntary, then impacts on our ability to sleep, breathe, eat, move and think – our five pillars of health at Sydney Holistic Dental Centre.

The Challenges of Postural Stress

There were many other things to consider some of which include:

• Crowded teeth, narrow jaws and their effects on nasal breathing and head posture
• Clicking jaw joints
• Breathing while sleeping related to clenching or grinding
• Mouth breathing and its affect on body chemistry and head posture
• Obstructed breathing while sleeping can be related to nocturnal clenching or grinding
• Head posture and breathing and their effect on spinal alignment
• Sleeping postures affect the muscles of the head, neck jaw and body, as well as breathing
• Working posture
• Foot mechanics and spinal stability and alignment
• Leg length discrepancy, spinal stability and alignment

These can all relate to chronic musculoskeletal pain conditions like chronic tension headaches, neck aches, jaw aches and back pain.

Good Posture – An Essential Part of Good Health

It’s often overlooked but good posture is an essential part of good health. The way you position your body when you sit, stand, walk, run and even sleep impacts on your body’s ability to function optimally. If you slump while you sit (all too common while looking at the smart phone!), you will:

• Restrict your breathing ability
• Squash your intestines making digestion more difficult
• Place more wear and tear on your body

These all contribute to what we call ‘postural stress’ which impacts on your sense of well-being and health.