Posture and body mechanics are things that we use in our everyday activities and lives. Posture and body mechanics can either positively or negatively affect our everyday lives by the way we hold our bodies when we stand, sit, lift, carry, bend, or sleep. Performing these everyday activities properly is important to living independently and pain-free, so as occupational therapists, we should be stressing to our clients the importance of posture and body mechanics.
Having proper posture and body mechanics is important for maintaining a healthy body. Teaching our clients how to have the correct posture and body mechanics can help them to prevent pain or injury to their bodies, and/or a deformity in their spine. Having bad body mechanics is the number one cause of back pain and injury, and having bad posture can cause unnatural spinal curves due to weakness and stress. Teaching proper posture and body mechanics can also help our clients to prevent fatigue and help them save energy when performing everyday activities by only requiring minimal energy expenditure from their bodies. Proper posture and body mechanics also allows muscles and organs to function optimally. Teaching our clients that bad posture can compress their internal organs and cause many issues such as respiratory problems, chest tightness, high blood pressure or poor digestion could help save them from other complications than what they are in OT for, or it could help save their lives. Having proper posture and body mechanics also helps give our bodies the muscular and skeletal balance we need to effectively perform our everyday activities. This is important to teach our clients to help keep their bodies safe and stable while during therapy or when they are on their own.
In a clinical setting, for example, if I have a client who complains of back pain, works in a factory, and does a lot of heavy lifting throughout their day, I would teach them the proper posture and body mechanics of lifting to help prevent them from having worsening back pain or causing injury. In our sessions, I would show them how to keep their back as erect as possible, their weight close to their body, their legs bent, and their feet flat on the ground while lifting, so they can perform their job more affectivity and keep their body from as much stress and pain as possible. One example of how I, as the therapist, can use good body mechanics and posture with a client in a clinical setting is if I have a client in a wheelchair. It is important for me to be mindful of my posture and body mechanics while pushing them in their chair or when transferring them from their chair to their bed, car, etc. so I can maintain effectiveness and safety for my client during our sessions. During our wheelchair lab, I learned that the best way to take a person in a wheelchair up over a curb is to push them forwards, not pull them backwards. Pulling caused a large strain and pain in my back because it is difficult to maintain good posture and body mechanics that way, but when I was pushing, I was able to get them up while having an optimal base of support and lifting technique to keep not just my client's body safe, but mine as well.
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