Biomechanics Blog 5: Posture and Body Mechanics

I observed my mom and my significant other (Des) in their everyday activities and took pictures of them (with permission). The first picture is Des texting, the second picture is my mom cooking, and the third picture is Des playing the video game. For this blog I will be analyzing Des in the first picture texting. His pelvis is slightly rotated to the right and is in a posterior tilt. In terms of his spinal curves, his lumbar spine is flattened, his thoracic spine is slightly curved, and his cervical spine is curved drastically. Both femurs are abducted from the midline and externally rotated. Both scapulas are protracted and slightly elevated. His head is forward and looking down (flexed).

This position is not efficient for stability however, it is efficient for mobility. His body is not stable due to having a small base of support. The only points of contact for stability are his feet on the ground, and his bottom on the chair.  His upper extremities are free to move since they are not being supported on the arm rests. For a more efficient stability, he could scoot backwards and have his back against the chair and his arms on the armrests. That results in a bigger base of support. However, his mobility will be more efficient due to the base of support being small.

Because Des has his neck forward and looking down at his phone, that posture is placing additional forces on the joints, especially in his neck and upper back. I don't think he will be able to hold this position very long due to his neck being flexed (maybe 5-10 minutes). He would have to shift his posture/position often because he may experience pain from his cervical spine being flexed drastically and his thoracic spine being flattened. 

It's important to teach proper posture and body mechanics to a client because it will support their muscles, ligaments, and joints. Also teaching proper posture and body mechanics to someone will help decrease neck and back pain and even potentially prevent an injury. In terms of teaching/using proper body mechanics, I would have an educational intervention or session based on that individual's needs. If Des was my client, I would educate him on the anatomy of the spine, back & neck care, and proper posture especially when sitting. Another intervention I could do is completely focus on posture while sitting. I would ask Des to show me activities he does daily while sitting (texting, playing video games, etc.). I would analyze his posture and recommend tips and show him what proper posture looks like while sitting. 

References

Dirette, D. & Guttman, S. (2020). Occupational Therapy for Physical Dysfunction. 8th ed. Lippincott: Williams & Wilkins.

Weisser-Pike, O. (2023). Lecture 8 Vertebral Column, Posture, and Body Mechanics [PowerPoint presentation].

Pictures retrieved from: personal camera/phone.