Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group How many started w/ bad posture?

I definitely think we have some soft of proclivity to inflammation in our bodies. As a young kid, I was always sick colds, pneumonia, ear infections. Later as a teenager and in my early 20's, I suffered asthma/sinus problems. Mysteriously all that went away (perhaps an improved diet), and was traded for chronic constipation (bowel inflammation) and eventually spondylitis (inflammation running from the base of my skull into my right shoulder blade).

My grandmother had good posture, but she's always had some kind of poly-rheumatic condition. Sometimes it was TMJ, sometimes it struck other places. Her posture was fine.

The thing that intrigues me about this is the connection of the spine with the nervous system - and its connection to our immune system. The central nervous system sends out messages to the entire body - regulating all those hormones that influence body temperature, digestion, inflammation, etc.

I know this is a stretch, but sometimes I get hopeful there's something I can actively DO to improve.

My take:
Bad posture is very common. Look at a bunch of high school kids. So, that it's bound to have been previously present in a good number of individuals in any group of adults.

The Mayo Clinic health letter is quite true in a general way. But, as Sue says, it's osteoarthritis that's well known to be exacerbated by "misuse". We didn't do this to ourselves.

Still, nobody needs good posture more than people with inflammatory arthritis!

just because i don't think the "bad posture" is what causes autoimmune diseases / inflammatory arthritis / AS, doesn't mean that i don't think that there is anything we can "actively do to improve". i think drugs, diets, PT, exercising (strengthening and stretching and aerobic), focussing on posture, and all those other things we do to be as physically well off as we can be help A LOT. we may not be able to "cure" ourselves, but i think we can find ways to treat and manage what we have, some people more so than others, but its definitely worth trying to do everything you can. i do think it can make a difference.

My take on this would be that a person probably has a period of "pre-AS" in which no obvious bone re-modelling has occurred but in which enthesitis of ligaments and tendons might be tending to shorten ligaments, tendons and muscles thereby distorting the body toward a bad posture. An attack on the longitudinal ligament (running the length of the spine) will tend to cause a hyperkyphosis of the thoracic spine. The head will adopt a forward position to balance the thoracic curve leading to a loss of curve (hypo-lordosis) of the cervical spine. A one sided attack on the body might cause a torque in the body (twisting) with a dropped shoulder, a raised hip, functionally shortened leg, rotation of head on atlas --> headache, back-ache, knee pain etc, etc, etc. When the vertebral column is distorted away form the "normal curves" of the lumbar/thoracic/cervical spine the spinal cord is tractioned (or stretched) so that neural signals may become less than optimal which might impact on organ function, immune function, issues of equilibrium (related to vestibular and brain stem tractioning) etc, etc, etc.

Posture is way more important than most people realise, but I don't believe that bad posture predisposes to AS - rather it is the other way round.

That's a chiropractic view, no?

well, that does sound like me

thanks david

Hey Lindy! I had really good posture before AS. My posture is still good. My back is stiff but so far my posture has been maintained. I think the arthritis your article is talking about is osteoarthritis. Poor posture would surely cause that. I really don't think it would cause an autoimmune arthritis. It could exacerbate an autoimmune arthritis but I don't think there would be a causative connection there. Then again, my scientific knowledge is basically nil.

When people talk about poor posture there is an assumption that we all know what 'normal' posture is.
http://www.idealspine.com/pages/harrison_spinal_model.htm

The above site gives a mathematical definition of the normal spine and defines the full spine normal model as the path taken by the longitudinal ligament - composed of separate elliptical segments in the lumbar spine and the thoracic spine and a circular segment in the cervical spine with points of inflection (mathematical term for change of direction from concavity to convexity) at T1 and T12.

Regards David

I am certainly one for the "bad posture" lecture...heard it my whole life. Being over 6 feet tall and 200 pounds, I have a tendency to stoop over and sit in unbalanced positions. It's my personal quest to find a comfortable position. Also, having childhood scoliosis might be a contributing factor in this too.

I am surprised to see that the Mayo Clinic puts such an emphasis on posture...now I'm being haunted with the words "I told you so" echoing through the dusty compartments of my cob-webbed mind.

It seems unlikely to me that posture causes AS though. If this were true, every tall person would be an AS patient..or at the very least, there would be a powerful correlation between height and AS. I don't know that this is the case but the few people I have met with AS aren't anywhere near as tall as I am.

Knowing that bad posture isn't going to do any good for me is a whole other kettle of fish. As write these words, I am lounging in a leather swivel chair (that once had heat and massage capabilities) slightly inclined backwards at about 30 degrees or so. I am at a 45 degree angle (sorry I forgot where the superscript o thingy is) to my computer with my feet elevated on a comfy leather foot rest. One leg is crossed over the other and tucked behind the other knee...yes, it is as uncomfortable as it sounds.

Personally, what I would like to know is why I do this to myself? When the pain gets to a point where I can no longer push it down into that little black hole inside me (you know, the one where all those things you'd like to say but don't, get put)I will make a conscious effort to adopt good posture...then a few minutes later I am astounded to find myself contorted all over again?

In my ignorant and uninformed opinion, I would say that tallness, general bad posture, diet, sedentary lifestyles (computers, sitting at a desk, driving constantly, etc.) all contribute to a generalized sort of "bad back" condition. This probably makes the AS worse but I don't see how there is any kind of causal relationship there. Remember there is a genetic factor involved here - it cannot be blamed on posture, diet or whatever else.

Finally, for me, I got sick during a time in my life where I had the best posture I'd ever had. I was a military officer. I was watched and judged constantly and was expected to display good posture while standing, walking, sitting or anything else. If anything, I might be more inclined to believe that "good posture" did me in...lol

I think that might have exceeded the traditional "two cents worth" but there it is.

Take care Lindyap

Chris

well, one thing i'm pretty certain of, don't think my left shoulder should be an inch or two higher than my right shoulder with the muscles running along from the shoulder to the neck shortened on the left hand side due to persistent muscle spasms of those muscles (trapezia, etc) for years. yet when i ask doctors and PTs, no one but i are very concerned about it.