Fix Your Posture To Alleviate Chronic Pain
Correcting bad posture habits
We all are guilty of slouching when we sit, walk and even stand which promote bad posture. However, most of us aren’t even aware we are doing this. Most of us lack self-awareness of how we move throughout our day. Poor posture has been linked to back pain as a main cause. Breaking bad posture habits requires us to check in with ourselves and observe what proper posture looks and feels like.
Having good posture always looks better and it also affects both our health and our state of mind. Let’s look at some proper postures:
Proper Standing Posture:
We can do this by observing ourselves in a mirror. Good posture means we pull our head back and our shoulders down and back. You should feel as if you’re sticking out your chest if you’re standing correctly.
Proper Sitting Posture:
We can also practice sitting all the way back in our chairs. By doing so we should be able to keep our feet flat centering our weight over our buttocks and pubic bone. This will ensure we’re in the proper alignment. If we’re in a car or sitting against a soft service using a lumbar support pillow under our lower back helps alleviate discomfort.
Proper Lifting Posture:
Paying attention to how we lift is also important. We should always practice lifting with our legs by squatting to get our bodies under the weight rather than hinging from the waist. We never want to pick-up something by rounding our backs. Our shoulders should always remain back and chest out.
We should also get out of the habit of carrying heavy loads on our backs as this creates a lot of added strain. The best method for transporting a load is by using a cross-body bag or a backpack to help distribute the weight more evenly.
High heels are another culprit for poor posture. They cause the entire weight of the body to shift forward towards the ball of the foot putting strain on the back and knees. We should opt for wedges and low heels under 2 inches instead.
Proper Sleeping Posture:
Effects on the body - How bad posture hurts your body
Bad posture doesn’t only affect your back. It can also:
- lead to knee, hip, shoulder, pelvic and neck pain and arthritis
- can hinder digestion and even cause headaches
- disrupt your ability to concentrate and move efficiently
- can interfere with your quality of sleep and even quality of life
Many people spend hundreds of dollars on chiropractors and massages to help reduce the persistent pain they feel from poor posture. However, this remedy is only a temporary fix. Until we take a proactive approach to correct our posture and practice good sitting, standing and lifting habits we will continue to suffer the repercussions of bad posture.
Identifying bad posture
Good posture can feel exaggerated or unnatural especially if you’re used to slouching. In order to identify whether your posture is good or bad, here are a few things you may want to try:
Correcting Standing Posture:
When you’re standing your body should be in alignment by keeping your head in a neutral position and your ears lined up with the middle of your shoulders. Both your upper and lower back should be upright. Many people with a weak core stand with their pelvis tilted forward. You should always keep your hips tucked under you minimizing the curve in your lower back. The illustration below from the Comprehensive Spine Institute best depicts what good and bad standing posture should look like.
Correcting Sitting Posture:
On average people spend 10 hours a day sitting, which is also taking a toll on our posture. The first thing you need to check is your computer, desk or work station. If your desk is not at the right eye level of the computer screen and your keyboard is not positioned the right distance from your chair you will slouch your shoulders jetting your neck forward, which is a sign of bad back posture. Check that your feet are resting flat on the floor and that your legs are not crossed. This ensures your weight is evenly distributed across both hips and feet. The illustration below is a good visual of the difference between good and bad sitting posture.
Exercises to improve posture
Now that you are aware of your bad posture there are some basic posture correction exercises you can do regularly to help correct it.
Back And Shoulder Exercises:
- The shoulder blade squeeze involves sitting upright in a chair with your hands resting on your thighs. Keeping your shoulders down slowly draw your shoulders back and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Hold here for a count of 5 and repeat several times. You can also try this exercise while lying flat on your stomach with your arms by your side and your thumbs pointed up towards the ceiling. All you have to do is practice drawing your shoulder blades together without lifting your head or feet off the ground.
- Wall angels are another exercise we do with our clients to help reverse bad posture. To do this stand with your back against the wall and your feet 2 to 4 inches from the wall. Bring your arms up by your ears so your elbows are bent and rest your palms, head, buttocks and shoulders against the wall. From here you can practice the shoulder squeeze exercise and then try straightening your elbows to raise your arms up over head forming the letter Y. Repeat this exercise 10 times for 2-3 sets.
- Using a resistance band you can also stand with your feet staggered with one foot in front. Place the band underneath your front foot and while holding the handles lift the resistance band upwards away from your body keeping your arms straight. Keep a slight bend in your elbows and hold here at shoulder height for a few seconds before repeating. Be sure to keep your shoulders down and back straight while doing this exercise. This is called the V-move.
Chest Exercises:
- To loosen your tight chest muscles, which often become restricted with bad posture try the doorway stretch. While standing in a doorway bend one elbow and lift your arm so that your elbow and shoulder are aligned. Place your hand at the edge of the doorway or on the corner of the wall and slowly lean into your raised arm so that your chest moves forward past the wall and hold for about 10 seconds. Repeat this several times on each side.
Hip Flexor Exercise:
- Tight hip flexors can also affect your posture. To stretch them start by kneeling on the floor with one foot planted and the opposite knee down. Place both hands on the right thigh and lean forward to feel a stretch in the hip flexors. You can also advance this stretch by bringing both palms on the inside of the front leg so that they are resting on the floor. The goal here is to get your shoulders in alignment with your front knee. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat several times on each side.
There are many yoga poses for correcting bad posture by stretching and training the back muscles to engage properly. Keeping your core strong and hips open also plays a part both of which yoga helps with.
3 Comments
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Great tips on improving posture, especially for the lower back! One of the ways to make it even better when working on the computer is with a good folding laptop stand. It makes it a whole lot easier to avoid hunching over while working by keeping the computer at eye level or even a bit higher. This piece of equipment is especially useful for business travelers.