According to Roger Sperry, Ph.D, Nobel Prize recipient, "better than 90% of the energy output of the brain is used in relating to the physical body in its gravitational field. The more mechanically distorted a person is, the less energy available for thinking, metabolism and healing." In other words, poor posture can stress your neck, back, legs, feet and your brain. It can cause constant tiredness, discomfort, headaches, poor breathing, lowered resistance to disease, and poor blood flow to the brain. Eventually you will see a loss in height, a rounding of the shoulders and upper back, degeneration of the spinal column, and spinal nerve stress. Doesn't sound too exciting, does it?

Whether you are aware of it or not, your standing, sitting, walking and sleeping postures all have a profound effect on the musculoskeletal function. For healthy human beings, good posture is a relaxed, comfortable, balanced state which provides you with energy, poise and stability. This balanced state helps you deal effectively against the force of gravity.

Your ideal posture consists of three factors:
1. skeletal structure,
2. soft-tissue integrity, and
3. neurological control.

These are elements of health which chiropractic care and exercise prescription deal with every day.

First, proper alignment of the vertebral bodies in the spine help to prevent joint dysfunction, which leads to reduced mobility and compromised nerve flow.

Second, muscles and fascia should be balanced, in order to avoid chronic shortening and weakening of the connective tissues. An imbalance will show up as spasms, cramping, and straining of the muscles.

Third, what controls your ability to stand erect against gravity is a complex interaction of several neurological factors. These include inborn postural reflexes, pain avoidance postures, learned behaviors and acquired habits.

The challenge to you is to find ways to improve your posture with a program of stretching, strengthening and spinal alignment. You must also look at common habit patterns and repetitive movements which create stress and tension in your body. This includes sitting at a computer for hours every day with few or no breaks, poor sleeping positions, and slouching while standing or sitting.

The good news is that good, postural habits can be integrated into your lifestyle with a minimal amount of effort. The bad news is, left to your own negligence, you will shrink and degenerate over time until you are too stiff and fragile to move. The choice is yours. Maintaining a high quality of life is a daily decision. It means stretching daily, exercising regularly, and getting your spine adjusted every 500 miles. So, is it time for your tune-up?