Nearly everbody knows about the disadvantages of bad posture, but I dare say, nearly everybody is in trouble with it as well !
 

1. POSTURE OF BODY
 

Bad posture of whole body : - shoulders hanging - chest hanging - curved back - multiple wrong positioned vertebral column - backwards positioned hips - knees pressed backwards etc.

 

Keep in mind, that being out of balance of only one part of the posture system causes all the other parts to be unbalanced as well.

2. POSITION  OF HEAD
 

Let us focus on upper seen head position : Imagine, this position resulted from a two part move:: 1 st part of movement : foward position (like when you start running): 2nd part of movement : backward position (like when throwing hairs back, arrows mark tendency of head and jaw movement):

These positions may be related to findings like ANGLE CLASS 2 when appearing as steady state during development of young individuals .

Results :
- An over all weak muscular status can be detected (Kinesiology !).
- Loss of vertical height
- Holding head in a forward position means you have to spent unnecessarily much  power
- Looks goofy
- Position of tongue incorrect, a little towards the back of the oral cavity, short related to lip position
- Handicapped swallowing movements
- Wrong position of larinx: Try to sing "AHH " in this position. It may sound squeezed and squeaky. Your horn reacts on too little air.
- Facial mimic muscles react:sleepy face, hanging upper eyelid, maybe some sort of arrogant or unconcentrated feature
- Uncomfortable tired feeling by the time

IF AN ANGLE CLASS 2 HAS SETTELED, LOOK AT OVERALL POSTURE !
SOME SAY, THE BITE (OCCLUSION) IS CONSIDERED AS THE KEY OF POSTURE !
SO THERE SHOULD BE NO ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT WITHOUT COMMON ORTHOPEADIC DIAGNOSIS !

3. ORGANS OF RESPIRATION
 

Have a look on the picture of organs of respiration. You find a straight connection between diaphragm, lungue, trachea, larynx, pharynx, nasal and oral cavity. It is not too difficult to imagine that under best conditions a steady stream of air erases from a freeblowing tubing system towards its destination, the lips. Again: THE STRUCTURES WITHIN THE QUADRANGLE HAVE TO BE OPENED. A posture like described above, will interfere with this demand by compressing relevant structures and reducing tubing systems aperture.

4. CERVIKO-ENCEPHALOUS SYNDROME, DISORDER OF HEAD-NECK JOINT

Now, for this really leaves the dental sector,.I may refer to findings in literature of neurophysiology.
They say, a field of nervous receptors is located within the deep muscles of the neck, close to the aera where the vertebra is connected to the head and where the spinal cord enters brain ( sorry, Prof., for this simple explanation ).
Do interferences appear, there may occur following symptoms triggered by receptors field:
-Neck pain, occasional spreading to eyes and ears
-Nausea
-Tinnitus
-Viewing interferences
-Vertebral dysfunction may interfere with regular function of vocal cords and related tissues
and further psychological syndromes
- Bad or no deep sleep
- Hypersensibility concerning optical and acoustical events
- Concentration interferred
- Sort of depressive feelings etc.

I can imagine that years of unphysiological bad posture of body may have an influx on the status of mentioned receptors etc.. May be, somebody knows details about this possible relation and e-mails me.
 

5. EFFECTS FOR BRASS PLAYERS  :

A posture as descibed may handicap the musician in the following manner:

- Weak status employes lack of general condition or endurance.
- The loss of arperture of air feeding system, especially in the larynx aera, results in lack of air in the sound initializing part of lips and mouthpiece.
- According to Bernulli rule the air speed in small tubes increases while air pressure decreases (Sharp, maybe shaking or generally poor sound quality ?).
- There is a certain feeling of resistance in the larinx
- The player is not able to control this resistance where he localizes it (vocal cords), because the whole body posture causes the narrowness
-  In case of irregular positioned tongue ( seems to be to short while being in a back position within the mouth cavity ) and sublingual muscles (floor of mouth and around hyiod bone) improper staccato results.
- Poor slur quality in legato phrases in case of too little air volume and pressure.
- Excessive training in wrong position leads into cramped and early tired related muscles .

Top of page Copyright Dr. Jochen Dornbusch 1999