Poor Posture? Find Out Why Your Lungs Suffer, Too

Whether it developed from work, phone usage, stress, age, or old habits, poor spinal posture is a problem for many. If you suffer from poor posture, find out why your lungs suffer too.

When dealing with poor spinal posture, we tend to easily notice the excessive forward curve of the mid-back (also known as the thoracic spine) and a forward head position. Often, the first concerns of poor posture include:

–         Back and neck muscle discomfort

–         Nerve restrictions and sensitivities

–         The effect on spinal discs and joints

–         Aesthetics (how a slouched posture looks).

With the thoracic spine involved, in particular, there is another issue that requires more attention: lung capacity, or the amount of room the lungs have for air. To transition from posture to its impact on breathing, let’s explore how the thoracic spine influences our lungs and what can be done to improve this connection.

The thoracic spine is made up of 12 spine bones. Each spine bone attaches to a pair of left and right ribs.

Those 24 ribs wrap around the front of our body to provide a hard, protective structure for our lungs.

Our thoracic spine moves; the ribs move, too. When our back is bent backward, the ribs have room to expand. If our back is rounded forward, our ribs shift closer together. While breathing in and out, the dynamic breathing system of our bones, muscles, ligaments, joint spaces, and nerves all control how the ribs move.

Unfortunately, with a long-term slouched spinal posture (where our mid-back feels stiff), our ribs lose the ability to expand. The muscles, ligaments, joint spaces, and nerves around the ribs and thoracic spine segments become dysfunctional.

This is especially true of the diaphragm, the main muscle used to draw air into the lungs. The diaphragm lies beneath the lungs and resembles an open umbrella. When the diaphragm has enough room, it contracts into a reverse-umbrella shape, allowing the lungs to expand into the abdominal region and fill with air. Without proper rib movement and space for the diaphragm, our lungs lose the ability to fill with air properly. The lungs then recruit less-effective breathing muscles in the neck and upper ribs, which can create a frustrating cycle of posture issues.

Thus, although we often think of poor posture as a back issue, we can’t forget how it affects our front–our chest, ribs, lungs, and other vital body parts situated closer to the front of our bodies.

Here are three tips to give your lungs the attention they deserve while you work on your spinal posture.

Breathing is a natural, involuntary action; we breathe throughout the day without needing to purposefully think about it. This can make it seem like a simple, easy task, but we can easily develop poor breathing habits over time without knowing it.

This is especially true when the spine is not moving properly. Our body can try to compensate for poor spinal movement, but at a detriment to other parts of the body. For example, if someone can’t move their thoracic spine well to expand the ribcage, they may instead flare their lower ribs forward to compensate.

In other situations, someone may only know how to breathe shallowly through their upper chest and not realize how poorly they use their diaphragm muscle.

This is where physical therapists are needed. It is critical to have your breathing form assessed by an expert before starting breathing training. A physical therapist can zero in on where your breathing habits may require focused attention.

After consulting with an expert, the next step is to sync your breathing with movements. This approach integrates your breathing habits directly into daily exercises.

Once you learn your breathing habits, you can apply breathing training to the exercises and movements you already do. Learning when to breathe while moving is an excellent tool to optimize your physical therapy homework.

When doing an exercise, visualize whether your ribs and lungs should be expanding during that movement or compressing. Then, match the steps of the exercise to your inhales and exhales accordingly.

For example, reaching your arms overhead should naturally open the chest and give more room for the ribs to expand. Therefore, you should inhale when you reach your arms overhead, then exhale as your arms go back down to your sides.

Every unique exercise can be performed to its full potential once breathing work is added properly.

Life is busy. Sometimes, performing even a few physical therapy homework exercises can seem like a strain on your daily schedule.

If you feel constantly busy with limited time to check in with yourself, chances are your breathing quality is also compromised. Setting aside a few minutes throughout the day to check in with your breath can make a significant difference in your ability to understand your body, control stress, and progress in your goals and well-being.

If you are working on improving your posture but haven’t considered your breathing quality, you may not be able to reach your greatest potential. Talk with your physical therapist about how your breathing may be impacted and how to incorporate breathing training into your daily routine for a healthy spine and lifestyle.