Good posture is important because it allows the heavy parts of your body, your head, shoulders and hips to be aligned with gravity over your ankles. This balanced position causes the least strain on your spine and it's supporting muscles and ligaments. For example if your head is just 2 cm forward of this balanced position it increases the strain on your shoulder and neck muscles 10 times.
Increasing the stress and strain on your spine in this way can contribute significantly to a number of painful or limiting dysfunctions in your spine. These include arthritis and degenerative changes, disc injuries, nerve irritation and muscle and ligament injury.
 | Have the adult or child to be tested standing on a hard flat surface. Have them close their eyes and 'march on the spot' for 2 or 3 steps then stop. |
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| With their eyes still closed, have them nod their head 2 or 3 times, as if they were looking at the floor and then the ceiling, stopping when they feel comfortable. |
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| With their eyes still closed, examine their posture. From the front all 9 test points should line up. |
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| Still with their eyes closed, test their posture from the side. There are 4 points which should line up. |
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| If the points in either test do not line up, seek a thorough chiropractic examination. |
Fig2
