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Posture

CM
2 months ago

Having had bad posture all my life (hunched shoulders/rounded back) finding out it could be as a result of autism hypermobility/low tone felt groundbreaking, like it might not just be a personal failing. However, I would like to ‘stand up straighter’ as it would help multiple areas of my life. 
Has anyone found anything that helps? I do pilates most weeks and try to stand up straighter when I remember but struggle with body awareness and sensory things that lead me to hunch over (e.g. wearing bras).

thank you!

Parents
  • 1 month ago

    Hiya, there are these cushions you can buy with soft spikes on one side that help you sit up straight by using your core muscles - I've seen these to be helpful for some people. (looked it up on amazon, it's called a wobble cushion! They cost about £10 each) Some people also like them for the sensory feedback it gives them (can't speak for myself as I personally don't stim)

    You could also buy a bar stool and sit on it instead of a chair for part of the day - that will improve posture as you need it to stay on the stool.

    Personally I've found these things helpful:

    Horse riding, as well as being wonderfully relaxing, is great for improving posture as you literally need it to stay on the horse! If you're worried about your posture there's stables who can give you one to one help and adult beginner lessons - check out riding for the disabled (RDA). The people who run RDA are wonderful, and based all over the UK including Wales and Scotland. Plus, when you get good at riding you can often volunteer at stables and help other people.

    Martial arts. Since I took up karate people have told me I physically seem taller than I used to because my posture improved so much! Don't be embrassed about starting out, everyone starts martial arts looking a bit like baby giraffes but once you start to improve that's when the results really show. Plus you get self defence and the karate scream 'kiai' is great for releasing stress!

Reply
  • 1 month ago

    Hiya, there are these cushions you can buy with soft spikes on one side that help you sit up straight by using your core muscles - I've seen these to be helpful for some people. (looked it up on amazon, it's called a wobble cushion! They cost about £10 each) Some people also like them for the sensory feedback it gives them (can't speak for myself as I personally don't stim)

    You could also buy a bar stool and sit on it instead of a chair for part of the day - that will improve posture as you need it to stay on the stool.

    Personally I've found these things helpful:

    Horse riding, as well as being wonderfully relaxing, is great for improving posture as you literally need it to stay on the horse! If you're worried about your posture there's stables who can give you one to one help and adult beginner lessons - check out riding for the disabled (RDA). The people who run RDA are wonderful, and based all over the UK including Wales and Scotland. Plus, when you get good at riding you can often volunteer at stables and help other people.

    Martial arts. Since I took up karate people have told me I physically seem taller than I used to because my posture improved so much! Don't be embrassed about starting out, everyone starts martial arts looking a bit like baby giraffes but once you start to improve that's when the results really show. Plus you get self defence and the karate scream 'kiai' is great for releasing stress!

Children
  • 1 month ago in reply to Matcha

    One of the reasons I made this post is actually because I’ve been horse riding most of my life and still cannot seem to sit up straight on one! I’ve actually been volunteering at my local RDA for the past 2 years, I’ve thought about competing with them as well but I can’t get over my worries about ‘fairness’ etc. but it really is a great charity and I often find myself recommending it to people here too! 
    I do miss doing taekwondo, I just don’t know if I’d have the time/energy at the moment to take up yet another thing. I will look into getting one of the wobble cushions though, thanks for that suggestion.