http://dailymail.com/foodandliving/201204230148
Correct your posture to prevent back pain
For the Daily Mail
Correct posture is most important first step in reducing, preventing and abolishing neck and back pain.
The most important factor in the full recovery and prevention of future back problems and flare-ups is simply good posture!
The most common back problem that a healthcare provider will see is a movement or displacement of an inter-vertebral disc, and the leading problem of this displacement is poor posture.
Consider that most of the activities we perform in a typical day are flexion oriented -- or bending forward. Look around; people are sitting with poor posture, bending forward and protruding their head to get a better look at what they are reading, or slouching as they are sitting at the computer or watching television. Correcting poor posture habits is the key to a pain-free life.
Fortunately, correcting your posture is a fairly easy endeavor.
Start by sitting on the edge of a chair or stool, unsupported. Now slouch; then begin to correct your posture by regaining the hollow or lordosis in your low back, and sit erect. Contract the muscles in your spine; pull your shoulder blades back to reduce the roundness of your shoulders; pull your head back; then retract it to a neutral position so your ears are above your shoulders. This is the correct position.
You should feel a strain in your neck and back muscles while holding this position because this is the extreme of the correct position. What you must do now is relax 10 percent from that extreme, so you no longer feel the strain. This is the position you want to maintain throughout the day.
Ten percent relaxed from the extreme of this position will feel more comfortable, but still awkward. You are likely saying to yourself, "No one sits this way, and I look awkward, as if I am pushing my chest too far out." You may feel this way, but you actually look taller, younger and as though you've lost 10 pounds. This is the posture that you want to maintain throughout the day to reduce the stresses on your neck and back.
Many people in healthcare talk about a strong core that prevents or reduces back pain, but unfortunately, this is not true. We do need strong muscles in our stomach and our back, but just having those strong muscles does not mean we have correct posture or are preventing back pain.
A strong muscle means three things:
- You have the strength to get into that position of erect posture
- You have the mobility in the joints to achieve that position
- You have the endurance.
The part most people lack the most is endurance -- you achieve endurance by practicing endurance. Even a strong core with endurance does not provide the protection that you need. In substituting "strong" and "weak" with "on" and "off," if the muscles are turned "on" they begin to protect the spine and prevent back pain; however, once we become distracted and work on the computer, text a friend, or watch TV, we have a tendency to turn those muscles "off." They then become weak, and no longer offer support.
To maintain this optimum "on" position, a lumbar support is helpful. For example, this support can be found in the newer cars or in some ergonomic office chairs. It is also helpful to place a round lumbar pillow in the small of your back when sitting. If fitted correctly, lumbar support allows you to maintain correct posture even when your mind is distracted, and your muscles are turned "off." Correcting and practicing good posture as a lifelong habit will help you to enjoy a carefree, pain-free life.
Hugh Murray is a physical therapist at CPT Physical Therapy Specialists Inc. in Charleston, a McKenzie Certified Clinic.
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