Posture correction training class

For the 90% of ordinary office workers and students who are only troubled by functional postural problems such as breast holding, neck protrusion, and false hip width caused by sitting for a long time, a reliable posture correction training class is worth enrolling-but the premise is that you don’t hold on to the outrageous expectation that "you can develop right-angled shoulders and reduce scoliosis by 20 degrees in 10 days of training."

I used to work as a content operator when I was young. Last year, I worked at my desk 12 hours a day to catch up on projects. My back hurt so much that it was difficult to even hold up my phone to view short videos for 10 minutes. I went to the hospital and took a X-ray to confirm that the physiological curvature of my cervical spine had become straightened, and that I also had typical upper cross syndrome. At first, I practiced with an online fitness blogger for two months. I did not stop doing the movements, but my neck became even stiffer. Later, I was recommended to find a small class of 6 people held by a local sports rehabilitation specialist. The 12 classes cost 3,200. Now, more than half a year has passed, and I have almost no back pain. My head that was almost 5 centimeters out has also retracted, and I finally no longer look bulky when wearing a T-shirt.

To be honest, I used to think that posture correction was a business that charges IQ taxes. It wasn’t until I went to a trial class with her that I discovered that the methods here are much more complex than I imagined, and the concepts of different schools are very different.

The most popular classes on the market now are classes run by teachers with a background in sports rehabilitation. They basically follow the logic of "evaluate first, then train". In the first class, you will be asked to take X-rays of your entire spine to rule out pathological problems such as congenital scoliosis and spondylolisthesis. Then, you will be given a muscle strength test to find out which muscles are too tight and which muscles are too weak, causing the skeleton to become crooked. For example, most people who hold their breasts and probe their necks have excessive tension in their pectoralis minor and sternocleidomastoid muscles, and weak middle and lower trapezius and rhomboids to pull their shoulders. The courses in this class basically use foam rollers and fascia scalpels to relax the tense muscles, and then lead you to practice bending over. Targeted movements such as YTWL and lowering the shoulders and retracting the jaw, the whole process is mainly active training. They rarely crack your joints at the beginning, and they will not promise you a "quick fix in 7 days". After all, the growth of muscle strength requires a monthly cycle.

The other type is much more controversial. It is a class given by osteopaths and chiropractors. The core logic is "reset first and then maintain." First, your spine and cervical spine are touched, and the misplaced small joints are put back into their original positions, followed by a small amount of strength training. I do have friends with stiff necks that are so severe that they can’t turn their heads. They went to this kind of class and got better on the spot. However, there are many negative cases. Last year, a young girl who just graduated found an unqualified "chiropractic master". Originally, it was just a high and low shoulder caused by muscle tension. After the massage, the joints became unstable and she felt dizzy for less than half a month. Objectively speaking, this school is not useless, but the threshold for choosing an institution is extremely high. You must find a master who holds a medical qualification certificate and has a formal medical background. If you already have spondylolisthesis or severe intervertebral disc herniation, don't even touch this kind of bone-breaking project.

Of course, there are more marketing agencies on the market now that are not qualified at all. They will take a 360-degree posture photo for you as soon as you enter the door. They point to the lines on the photo and tell you about your anterior pelvic tilt, scoliosis, and leg length. They make it sound like you will be paralyzed for the rest of your life if you don't correct it. Then they will offer you a "lifetime correction package" worth more than 10,000 yuan. This kind of thing can basically turn around and leave. There are also those kinds of orthopedic insoles, waist corsets, and back braces that are sold for thousands of dollars for you, and they say they can automatically return to straightness after wearing them. Don't believe it. External braces are always just auxiliary, and the strength of your own core and related muscle groups has not increased. After taking off the brace, you will immediately return to your original shape. I have seen a high school girl before.

Many people also say, can’t I practice by myself by following free online tutorials? Why should I waste such money? This is really true. I have a friend who studies sports and human body science. I have been practicing with a reliable blogger for three months. The false hip width has been significantly improved. However, most ordinary people cannot find the correct sense of exertion at all. The result of practicing shoulder sinking is to make the trapezius muscles stronger. I have seen many cases of glute bridge exercises that rely solely on waist exertion but cause lumbar muscle strain. The greatest value of a reliable training class is that the teacher is watching you from the side, breaking your movements on the spot if you make a mistake, and helping you find the feeling of muscle exertion. This can save you several months of blind training.

Last week, I accompanied my child to the studio for re-evaluation. I also met Sister Zhang, who had taken trial classes together before. She came to class with her son, who is in the second grade of junior high school. The child lowers his head to write homework every day, and sticks his neck to the notebook. In the past, it was useless for Sister Zhang to shout "head up and chest out" from behind every day. After practicing for half a month, now his back naturally holds up while sitting there doing homework. In fact, after all, posture correction training courses have never been a "magic pill for beauty." To put it bluntly, it means spending money to hire a professional to help you find the right path. Whether you can maintain it in the end depends not only on whether you can stop lying on the sofa for three hours when you go home and scroll through your mobile phone. After sitting for a long time, remember to get up and stretch.