The performance spine.

Why posture matters even for fit people

You train regularly. You lift, run, jump, and compete. You feel strong.

Yet performance stalls. Niggles appear. Recovery slows.

Often the missing link is spinal movement.

Your spine is not a stack of bones to hold you upright. It is a dynamic system built for motion. It links your arms and legs. It houses the nervous system. It shapes how you breathe, balance, and generate force.

Strong muscles cannot express power through a stiff spine.

Why the spine matters for performance

Every athletic movement transfers force through the spine. Running loads the spine thousands of times per session. Lifting depends on spinal stiffness at the right time and mobility at the right place. Change of direction sports rely on rapid spinal rotation and side bending.

If spinal joints stop moving well, the body adapts. It shifts load elsewhere. Hips tighten. Shoulders overwork. Hamstrings pull. The issue rarely feels like the spine.

Posture is not about standing straight

Posture is movement capacity over time. It reflects how often your spine changes shape during the day.

Long hours sitting reduce spinal motion variety. Training adds repeated load patterns. Together they narrow your movement options.

You can be fit and still under move key spinal segments.

Common signs posture is limiting performance

Breathing feels shallow during hard efforts. One side always feels tighter after training. Power feels inconsistent. You recover slower from sessions you used to tolerate.

These are often movement control issues, not strength problems.

Simple ways to support spinal performance

Move your spine daily outside training. Flexion, extension, rotation, side bending. All matter.

Break up sitting. Short movement breaks every 30 to 60 minutes protect spinal motion.

Train posture under load. Carries, split stance work, and unilateral lifts challenge spinal control.

Get assessed when performance drops without clear cause. Joint motion loss often hides until performance exposes it.

Your spine sets the ceiling for performance. Strength and fitness express through it.

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Dr Mark has a special interest in helping recreational athletes of all ages perform better and prevent injury. Correct breathing and postural alignment are critical for top performance and injury prevention and is an integral part of “The Over 40 Athlete System” that Mark has developed.

Dr Julie has a special interest in helping mothers and “mothers to be”. Her Post Graduate qualifications in Paediatric Chiropractic and as an ex-midwife give her a unique ability to help pregnant women, new mums and their young children.

Yours in Health,

Dr's Mark & Julie