correct poor posture
Stand tall, proud and pain free!
Here at Functional Patterns we address the system, rather than the symptoms to get you out of a poor posture and moving towards a more optimal human being.
Why does fixing poor posture matter?
Correcting poor posture is incredibly important as it reduces the bodies over-all connectivity and function. Scroll to the end of this page to learn about the most important driver of your posture and pain – the fascia. Otherwise, read about possible (and actionable) causes of poor posture alongside before & after case studies of people who have transformed their posture and quality of life.
What Are Potential Causes of Poor Posture?
Biomechanical Factors
Think of your posture as the way you are ‘vertically stacked,’ somewhat like a game of Jenga. If you were to gradually pull at random pieces of the Jenga tower, it would eventually start leaning over to one side and lose its structural integrity.
While humans are more complex than a game of small wooden blocks, the same principles of physics apply. We are constantly being acted upon by gravity, pulling us down towards the earth. We need to make sure our various muscles, joints, bones etc are firmly in place and stacked correctly on top of one another.
poor breathing
The breath is a powerful force within the body, capable of influencing the bodies structure based on where it holds its pressure.
Take a deep breath. Where do you feel it? Do you notice certain parts of your body rise and fall? Perhaps you feel your breath in your shoulders, or maybe it travels to the lower belly.
Much of postural correction lies in breathing correction. Where do you want to create pressure to expand and strengthen? Where do you want to reduce the pressure?
The areas that your breath reside grow space for you to do so. If you take deep breaths into your chest and shoulders, you will grow a bigger frame to accomodate. If you take small, shallow breaths into your stomach, you will likely express this in your frame.
Assymetries in the body
Of course you do. We are generally either ‘left hand’ or ‘right hand dominant.’ But this doesn’t just stop at our hands.
If you’re about to fall over, which leg always comes to your rescue? When you brush your teeth or hair, is it with the same hand you write with? What about when you play sports or exercise?
You may not stop to consider these choices, but it has a vast effect on your posture. Achieving symmetrical posture comes from developing and balancing both sides of your body.
While you may always have a favourite hand to write with, you can focus on the every day macro movements (standing, walking, running, throwing and breathing), and try to make these more balanced and symmetrical.
Fascia's integral affect on poor posture
What is Fascia?
Fascia is a type of connective tissue that surrounds and supports various structures in the body, including muscles, bones, and organs. It is dense, fibrous, and made up of collagen and other proteins.
Fascia has several functions, such as providing structural support, allowing movement and flexibility, and facilitating communication between different parts of the body.
Tight or restricted fascia can cause pain, stiffness, and limited mobility. but it can adapt to mechanical stress, remodelling the cellular/tissue structure and changing to suit the environment.
How Does Posture Affect Our Fascia?
Even when we are just sitting or standing, our body is constantly making adjustments to compensate for our motions, big or small. The connecting mechanism of all these movements is fascia.
Its job is to adapt to mechanical stress and if that mechanical stress is abnormal or dysfunctional, your fascia has to work double time and compromise its values to adapt to that stress. This is the fundamental basis of maladaptation. You put your body in a certain position or move it in a certain way enough times and it is forced to adapt to that environment – whether that adaption benefits you or harms you.
How Does Fascia Affect Our Posture?
Once your body has maladapted to an environment of dysfunctional movement, your fascia becomes less lubricated and rigid. It essentially calcifies/hardens. Your bodies structure adapts to the dysfunctional movements and loses its structural integrity. People with poor posture feel much less connected within their body because their connecting mechanism, fascia, is now compromised.
Fascia does not just handle posture, it innovates and connects the immune system, the nervous system, pain receptors and just about every single system within your body. Dry and dysfunctional fascia therefore causes a host of issues aside from poor posture.
Dysfunctional fascia turns basic feeling receptors within the body into pain receptors. These receptors become overactive and can be identified as a source of chronic pain.
success stories
Poor Posture Case Studies
See how our clients have corrected their posture and CHRONIC pain PERMANENTLY using the functional patterns method.
posture transformation - 6 months
BEFORE
- Poor intra-abdominal pressure
- Forward head posture
- Kyphosis
- Compressed ribcage
- Knee hyperextension
- Daily back pain
AFTER
- Improved core tension
- Reduction of the forward head posture
- Decompressed spine
- Decompressed ribcage
- Erector engagement
- Active without daily back pain
At 53, I was hoping to reverse some of the years of slouching and am thrilled at the results so far. Jen has identified and targeted the specific areas of my body I need to work on and I definitely feel stronger and taller for the work we have done together. My pains are also no longer there. She has taught me a lot about how to breathe, stand and walk so I am always aware of how I hold my body now. The FP exercises are intense and challenging and I am definitely more in tune with my body. Love what we have done together this far and look forward to seeing even more great results!
Jackie
Functional Patterns Melbourne Client
poor posture completely transformed
BEFORE
- Compressed ribcage
- Forward head posture
- Protruding thoracic spine
- Knee hyperextension
- Scoliotic curve
- Daily pain
- Compressed lumbar
AFTER
- Decompressed ribcage
- Better joint stacking
- Less visible thoracic spine
- Traps engaged
- Less hyper-extension in C spine
- Spasms and nerve pain greatly reduced
After spending thousands of dollars on physios, chiros, personal trainers and things of that nature without any results or progress, I began searching for another method. Then came along functional patterns. Since starting with Fe, I have come along way with my issues. Fe is super knowledgeable, professional and passionate about what he has to offer. Although I still deal with some of the issues, I have more “good days” now than ever. I understand that my dysfunctions have accumulated over many years and will therefore take years to undo. I trust FP and the process 100%!
Joel
Functional Patterns Melbourne Client
posture, pain and fat-loss results
BEFORE
- Constant neck pain
- Excess body fat
- Forward head posture
- Excessive kyphosis
- Drooping shoulders
- Lack of structural integrity
AFTER
- Neck pain gone
- Reduced body fat
- Improved head position
- Reduced kyphosis
- Elevated and supported shoulders
- Integrated structure improvements
I was recommended to FP as I was having constant neck pain on my right side and was greatly concerned about years of bad posture. At the age of 55 I felt if I didn’t address my pain and posture problems they would only get worse. Booking in with a FP practitioner has been one of my best decisions. Nearly 6 months later (with majority of my sessions being virtual) I feel so much better. My neck pain has improved dramatically and I’m more aware of how I breathe, stand, walk and run. It’s great to have lost some body fat in the process too.I cannot thank Jen and FP Melbourne enough for getting and guiding me this far. Her dedication and passion is amazing and I can’t wait to see how far I can go with FP!
Jan
Functional Patterns Melbourne Client
posture and gait results
For 17 years I have been dealing with scoliosis and disc degenerative disease. I had lower back pain which was crippling at times. I saw various chiropractors & physios and nothing they did seemed to work. I even saw a spine specialist who recommended I take ibuprofen as a solution. When I turned 30 I decided I’d had enough of living in pain. I had been following Functional Patterns for years and was really impressed with the results, so I searched for FP in Melbourne.
I started seeing Jen twice a week and soon after that went from crippling back pain 80% of the time to essentially no pain at all. I have a physical job so it is now much easier and more enjoyable to do because I improved my biomechanics and my body moves better. I also feel much more confident in how I walk and run and can do activities I couldn’t do before. There is still a long way to go in my journey but like they say it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Thank you Jen and thank you Functional Patterns!
corey
Functional Patterns Melbourne Client
Sign Up For Bite-Size Weekly Tips and Information
Improved Posture results
If you have poor posture and want to identify and treat the root cause through lifestyle and movement changes, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Functional Patterns Melbourne
Fixing Poor Posture
What training with Functional Patterns Melbourne looks like
phone call to discuss with one of our team
During this call we will discuss a brief history of your condition, goals and availability. From this information, we will match you with one of our Human Biomechanics Specialists. We have extensive experience working with and significantly improving poor posture in our client, see some of our results below.
Initial consultation
First, we assess your static posture and conduct a gait cycle analysis. During the gait cycle analysis, you will walk or run on a treadmill, and the practitioner captures the movement in slow motion to evaluate the biomechanics of their gait.
Static posture pictures help to identify any areas of the body where there may be an imbalance, such as forward head posture, a rounded back, or uneven hips. These imbalances can contribute to pain, injury, and reduced performance.
Note: It is conducive to wear minimal clothing during these assessments to ensure the practitioner can accurately assess the body’s alignment and identify any areas of asymmetry.
what happens after my first session
What now?
Your practitioner will assess your initial gait and static posture images discuss their recommendations specific to you.
How long will it take to see results?
This is dependant on your body, how committed you are to the lifestyle protocols FP recommend, and how dedicated you are to training. We recommend 1-2 sessions in the gym with a trainer per week alongside practising the exercises at home.
Corrective exercise and dynamic movements
We will progressively build on the techniques you learn through chambers, corrective and dynamic exercises. As gait cycle results are our number one metric to objectively measure your progress, we will often take updated recordings of your gait during these sessions.
Decrease pain and improve posture
We will work on breaking down the dysfunctions that led to your poor posture and pain while building new, functional patterns within the body. This will help dramatically decrease pain, improve spinal alignment, movement, agility, strength, posture and overall quality of life
And Finally, Your Result!
Our goal is to get you an incredible result. Our entire business and methodology is based around noticeably improving poor posture & chronic pain and decreasing pain to the point where people cannot ignore the work we do. If you want to change your life and be our next result, get in touch and start your incredible journey with Functional Patterns Melbourne.
Want to hear more?
Sign up for our newsletter and get insider access to news around special promotions, updates, insights and more.