Alignment matters: 3 ways to audit your alignment, 3 things that affect it, and things we can do to help
What is the definition of alignment?
The dictionary definition is ‘arrangement in a straight line or in correct relative positions’.
Hmmm, ‘straight line’? How does that work with the human body? I remember people used to always say, ‘sit up straight’ or ‘stand straight’ when I was younger. I would think, ‘but why? and instantly slump again after a few minutes, once I’d gone back under the adult’s radar!
It actually feels great to be able to ‘stand tall’ (especially when you’re only 5ft 4 like me!) and it’s much more comfortable to stand for longer periods (if you have to), but only if you know ‘how to’ stand tall and why that ‘how to’ makes sense. Did that make sense?!
The second part of the definition makes the most sense to me; ‘in correct relative positions’.
When you think about your centre of gravity being about an inch below your navel (in the centre of your body between front and back) it makes sense that the structures below it and above it need to be stacked in a ‘straight line’ or even better, ‘in correct relative positions’ to each other. The body is therefore having to make the least effort (in terms of muscle engagement) to stay upright. The body will always look for the way to use the least energy in order to have a better chance of survival (its ultimate goal).
If our mass is further forward or back of this point, additional muscles in the body are going to have to work harder uneccesarily to basically stop us from falling over.
Why does alignment matter?
Standing alignment is a starting point and can be a key indicator of how efficiently and (hopefully) painlessly we move through the world. It’s possible that if we are ‘out of alignment’ when standing still, our natural movements can become more difficult and even lead to pain.
Ways to do a self-audit of your standing alignment
Use these 3 checks to gather information about your own alignment:
Click here to see this video on Instagram
Plumb line check
A great way to check (that my cat also thinks is a great idea!) is to get something heavy enough to make a plumb line with some string.
Credit for this method goes to Katy Bowman @nutritiousmovement
Stand side on to a mirror (but don't look in it first!)
Hold the top end in the centre of the side of your hip with the weighted end at the side of your foot an inch or so off the ground
Close your eyes & stand normally for you
Open your eyes & gently move your head to the side to look in the mirror
What did you find?
If the weight is not hanging in the centre of your heel near the bony prominence (the lateral malleolus or bottom end of your fibula) as in this photo, then your pelvis is not stacked directly over the centre of your heels. As in this clip from Instagram, shift your weight forwards & backwards to find the right place, stay there, close your eyes & see how it feels now. This is where you want to start trying to ‘wear your weight’.
2. Photo check
Get someone to take a photo of you from the side (and from the front if you want to check whether your feet are hip width) in your ‘normal’ standing position (close your eyes and find your usual central place). You can also do this by looking at yourself from the side in the mirror but the photo method tends to show us more as we don’t have to turn our head to look!
This image shows a whole range of positions people adopt. The central image is the one I aim for. 1. Is the forward ‘lean’, 2. the ‘banana’ where the ribcage is over the heels but tilted upwards because the pelvis is jutting forward, 3. is ‘top heavy’ where the rear travels behind the heels to compensate for the upper body pulling forward and 4. is ‘head chasing’ or ‘tech neck’ which I will talk about shortly.
3. Wall check
Stand against a wall with a small gap between the wall and the heels. Notice which points of the back of your body touch the wall. The aim is for the rear, shoulders and back ridge of the head (occipital ridge) to all make contact with the wall. This check particularly shows us if our head is further forward than it could be (an issue that many of us have in today’s tech-using world). Obviously all anatomies are individual and so this is why I put this check third as I find the previous two far more informative.
What are we aiming for? ‘How to’ improve our alignment
The way I like to think about what we’re aiming for is for each ‘section’ of our body to have its individual centre of gravity directly above the one below. Think centre of head over centre of shoulder girdle, over centre of pelvis, over centre of base of support.
When we stand, our feet are our base of support. When feet are ‘hip width’, i.e. our leg bones are directly under where they attach to our pelvis (not the outsides of our pelvic bones but instead the sockets) we are aligned to best help our ability to balance on two legs.
The same is true for where our weight is between the front and back of the body. If we can centre our pelvis (and everything above it) over the centre of our heels (the central point of the leg bones above it), then we are not ‘leaning’ either forwards onto our forefoot or backwards on the back of the heel.
It’s this last point that Katy Bowman creator of Nutritious Movement corrected me on my previous understanding. It’s still not agreed upon by many of those who teach it in different modalities, however, Katy’s guidance really worked for me and makes absolute sense in terms of working, as far as possible, with gravity.
3 Lifestyle factors that affect alignment & solutions
There are factors that, over time, cause issues with our optimal alignment and can then create problems in the body.
1. Which positions are good positions?
It’s really not a case of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ positions. It’s about being in positions (usually repeatedly similar positions daily) for long periods of time, e.g. chair sitting (often with the pelvis tilted back against the chair back) that can lead to issues.
It’s NOT the position itself that’s ‘bad’ (as per when I was ‘slouching’ as a child) as has been previously thought; for example no evidence has been found that a slumped position itself is directly linked with back pain.
The problem is that the central nervous system adapts to the positions and movements we are in most often to become more efficient at them. When we are in a single position for a long time, such as chair sitting, the body adapts the muscles and fascia, creating tightness, usually down the back line of the body and in the hip flexors. You know the feeling when you stand up after a long time sitting in a chair and almost feel like your body is pulling against you, a feeling of stiffness instead of gliding?
Solution: mix up your positions and move regularly!
Mix up your daily positions by not being in single positions for too long. Try to stand to work, chair sit and then ground sit (using a standing desk at all 3 levels as you can see on my Instagram).
Add in movement breaks where you create different ‘shapes’ aka positions and movements with your body, such as walking, balancing practise, getting up and down to the ground in different ways, squatting to do household tasks low down and ground movement breaks such as in the Reclaim Movement membership.
2. Your optimal standing (and walking) alignment is being affected by what you put on your feet
Another factor that affects our centre of gravity is wearing shoes that have a raised back area of the shoe compared to the front. I could say ‘heel’ here, but most people then associate a trainer as being ‘flat’, where in fact most are higher at the back than the front.
When we have any kind of heel (there is a drop from the back of the shoe to the front) the body is being put into a forward ‘leaning’ situation (like photo number 1 above) and the tissues have to compensate to keep us upright. If you’ve ever worn high-heeled shoes, you’ll know how much you have to change the way you walk (your gait) and how you stand, just to avoid falling forwards.
Solution: try minimal shoes and be barefoot as much as possible
If you want to find out more about how minimal shoes differ from traditional footwear and why that helps the optimal alignment and movement of the body, click here to read my previous blog: ‘What’s all this barefoot shoe business about’
3. Notice whether you’re ‘head chasing’ or have ‘tech neck’
When we ‘head chase’ (see position 4 in the photo above), often due to looking down at a phone or at a screen that’s too low down for long periods, this causes a challenge as the weight of the head (about 5kg!) is pulling forward, straining the neck, spine, lower back and so on.
Solutions - remember to ‘ramp’ your head and use your phone differently
Click here to read see the Head Ramping video on Instagram
Head ramping technique
To correct head chasing use the Katy Bowman @nutritiousmovement method.
Think about the line between your chin & the (occipital) ridge at the bottom to the back of your skull. Now imagine it is sat on a ramp & simply slide the head upwards & backwards simultaneously up that ramp to achieve the optimum position.
This does not mean tilting the head back or pulling the chin in (see the second image), neither of which create that relaxed upright neck (cervical spine).
Katy even produced stickers to put on the top corner of your phone to remind you to ramp which I love!
Click here to see some solutions
Avoid ‘tech neck’ using some of the solutions offered in this post
Finally - remember what it feels like to have your head above your body by balancing a cushion (or harder still a book!) on your head for fun and walking around. Then take it off and keep your head there.
These lifestyle factors that affect our upright alignment are areas where we can make positive change, as they’re as a result of choices we make in how we live. There are lots of other factors that affect our standing alignment and of course, we are all built differently and have had different situations during our lives that will affect our ability to have optimal alignment.
I hope this blog gives you some food for thought and awareness of factors that might help you to improve your alignment to move better and therefore live better.
If you would like to see a video version of these alignment checks, then please subscribe to my YouTube channel @reclaim.movement
