Books on posture correction

There is no "universal posture correction book" on the market that is suitable for everyone. There are only two core criteria for selecting a book: one is that it matches the severity of your current posture problems, and the other is that you can understand it and practice it without pain. The remaining reputation, sales volume, and expert recommendations are all add-ons and useless.

In the first two years of my career, I typed code on the computer every day. Even though I had rounded shoulders, there was almost a centimeter difference between my shoulder height and shoulder line. Even when I was wearing a T-shirt, I could clearly see that the shoulder line was crooked. At that time, I followed the recommendation of an internet celebrity and bought a book with "Seven Days to Say Goodbye to Hunchback" on the cover. After practicing for two weeks, my shoulders were not straightened back, and my trapezius muscles were as hard as rocks. The pain was so severe that it was difficult to lift my arms and put on clothes. Later, I found a friend who did exercise and rehabilitation to rub it three times before I recovered. It was then that I realized that you should not just look at the cover of a posture book when choosing a posture book.

A friend threw me a copy of Jane Johnson's "Guide to Posture Correction" and said it was a must-read for anyone starting in the industry. I felt dizzy after turning two pages. The entire page was full of terminology about muscle origins and endpoints and joint mobility. There was not even a color illustration. For a novice like me who couldn't even distinguish between trapezius and latissimus dorsi muscles, it was no different from reading a bible. My friend said it’s normal. This book was originally written for rehabilitation practitioners. It teaches how to evaluate clients’ posture problems and how to make targeted corrections. It is difficult for ordinary people to find the right force when practicing by themselves. If there is no foundation, there is really no need to study hard.

However, not all professional books are unfriendly to the people. For example, Stan McGill's "Back Repairer". My colleague who has suffered from lumbar protrusion for two years was recommended by an orthopedic surgeon to follow this book. At the beginning, he complained about how the doctor recommended a "book for maintenance workers" to him, but after flipping through two pages, it became really interesting: there are no general principles in it, and each movement is marked with suitable situations and taboos. For example, people with central protrusion like him must not do Xiaoyanfei, and even sit-ups should be avoided as much as possible. He will honestly practice the core with the most basic abdominal breathing and dead insect pose. He has been practicing for more than three months. Before, he was in so much pain that he could not stand up after sitting for half an hour. Now he does not feel any obvious pain after sitting for two hours in a meeting. However, he has also stepped into pitfalls. At first, he was anxious to practice the advanced bird dog pose, and his core was not stable and almost slipped. Later, he realized that the most valuable part of this kind of professional book is not the movements, but the part that teaches you how to judge your own problems. Skipping the evaluation and practicing directly is equivalent to crossing the road blindfolded, and it is too easy to cause accidents.

A while ago, I came across a few Internet celebrity popular science posture books with full-color illustrations in a bookstore. The movements in them are all stretches that can be learned in two or three steps, and there are no obscure terminology. If you just sit for a long time and have sore shoulders and neck, and occasionally feel tightness in your back, but no obvious pain or limited limb movement, it is better to move around for 10 minutes a day by following this kind of book than to slump on the sofa and use your mobile phone. However, these kinds of books are mixed now. I once read a book that taught the correction of XO-shaped legs, and it actually asked readers to stand for half an hour every day and do the horoscope. If someone really follows this practice, the force on the knee is wrong, and the meniscus may be worn out before the leg shape is corrected. Regarding this type of book, there are actually quite big differences in the rehabilitation community. Some teachers feel that this type of book is not rigorous at all and is misleading the public. After all, many people's posture problems cannot be solved by just a few stretches - for example, your shoulders may be scoliosis, or your legs may be long or short, or even your wisdom. Tooth inflammation is caused by eating at the same time for a long time, and it will be useless no matter how much you practice if it is not correct. However, some teachers feel that this kind of book at least lowers the threshold of posture science. Many people did not know that their breasts and hunchbacks were a problem before, and they only thought about adjusting after reading the book. It is better than going to the hospital until the pain is unbearable. In fact, both sides are reasonable. The core thing is that you have to make your own judgment. If you already have persistent pain, limited limb movement, or your posture is particularly skewed, don't hold on to the book and go to the hospital to take a X-ray to check for organic problems. It is better than anything else.

I currently have two related books on my bookshelf. One is Jane Johnson's professional guide. Sometimes when helping a friend to check their posture, I can flip through it to confirm the logic of muscle development to avoid giving blind advice. The other is a light science book with full-color illustrations. Sometimes I teach stretching exercises to the elders in the family, so I just flip through the illustrations and show them to them. It is much more effective than me talking about anatomy terms for a long time. A while ago, my sister said she wanted to correct her fake hip width. I gave her the light science book and asked her to practice the glute bridge first. After practicing for a week, she said her buttocks were sore but her knees didn’t hurt, so she continued practicing. If it hurt, stop immediately. I didn’t recommend any professional books to her. After all, she usually doesn’t like to move, and she didn’t have any substantial injuries, so she couldn’t commit the crime of chewing on heavenly books.

Really, there isn’t much to be said for choosing a posture correction book. Don’t rely on “must-buy books” or “Top 10 books in the industry.” If you can still read three pages by hand and follow two basic movements without discomfort, then this book is a good book for you. After all, we buy books to make ourselves more comfortable and healthier, not to collect books to check in, and not to compete with others who reads more professional books, right?