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Back pain affects more people than you can comprehend. There are endless reasons why you could be suffering from pain such as Sciatica, Spinalspondylosis, Spinal Arthritis, Bulging Disc, and the list goes on. However, one of the most crucial causes of chronic back pain is ‘bad posture’.
For those who might not know what a bad posture looks like, the most common example is a hunched back with slouched shoulders. But hey, isn’t that how we sit in the office? Even a bad posture while standing or sleeping can lead to bad spine health and translate into back problems. Let’s learn more about the benefits of a good posture and how posture correction contributes to better spine health.
Posture is basically how you hold your body when laying, standing, walking, sleeping, etc. A body with a correct spinal alignment looks like a straight line from tip to toe when viewed from the front or back. If you view your profile from left or right on a mirror, a good posture means preserving the three natural curves the spine exhibits that are at the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar sections. These are commonly known as neck, upper back, and lower back curves, respectively.
Having a good posture is a blessing as it helps the body maintain its center of gravity and balance all the forces. It minimizes the risk of injury and makes the body adaptable to different kinds of stresses. A good posture allows the use of muscles as they are intended, causing less fatigue and making you feel energized as well as helping you stay in a good mood.
Essentially, a good posture tends to put less strain on the neck, upper back, shoulder, and lower back preventing chronic overuse that could otherwise lead to expedited joint wear and tear over time.
More often than not, slouching is the ultimate reason behind your back pain. Whether using your phone or computer or tablet, we often slouch and that puts strain on the joints, muscles, and bones that make up the backbone and surrounding structures. Keeping a good posture will ease the strain, lungs to inflate well, and intestines to digest food well.
Staying connected with friends, families, colleagues, and others is good but at what cost? People use their mobile devices and computers all day long and preferably in a supposed ‘comfortable’ position. It often involves slouching the back and tilting the head down. Call it an uproar, but that’s very bad for your spine care. It puts a lot of pressure on the neck and will lead to nagging and sharp pain in the region.
As per the experts, staying stationary with a good posture is worse than being active with a bad posture. Staying active is ultimately good for your spine as it helps take the excessive stress on the back. Experts recommend moving every 20 to 30 minutes or so, stretching a bit, and taking a stroll as it helps the muscles and the spine destress. There are a lot of ways to stay active such as Pilates, Tai Chi, Yoga, physical training, etc, that can help you cope with back pain gradually.
The usual office setup or workstation involves an ill-fitting chair, a desk, and a screen setup that is probably too high or too low. Add dangling legs (not touching the floor) and you get a perfect blend of a bad sitting posture.
Here’s how you can set up an ergonomic workstation that will take off the strain from the spine.
Get a footrest if your legs don’t touch the floor.
The computer should be at arm’s length and aligned with your eye level such that you no longer point your head up or down to view.
Elbows are recommended to be at 90° and in a resting posture with elbow support.
Knees should level with your hips.
The foot should be on the ground such that they aren’t dangling.
Naptime is a good time but again, maintaining a good posture is crucial. Experts recommend a mattress that doesn’t sag and rather supports the natural S-curve of your spine. If you are a side sleeper, there’s a correct posture too. Place a pillow right under your neck and a soft pillow between both knees. You can either keep the knees straight or bend backward a bit but the goal is to be as close to the natural curves as possible. Back sleepers can go for a small pillow placed under the neck and that’s it.
Holding the phone over your ears for a long time isn’t that good for your spine health. If you talk over the phone a lot, it’s time to give your neck pain (and pretty much all other parts of the body involved) a time-out. Instead, what you can do is talk over the speaker. If that’s too disturbing for others, you have an earphone that should give your neck some time to cool off. You can even try switching the phone to a non-dominant ear/hand so that the other gets some time off.
Correcting bad posture is crucial as otherwise, it would lead to a lot of hassle and a sore back problem. It could turn chronic if left untreated. Fortunately, there’s no hard and fast rule that you must undergo a spine surgery and instead, you can take advantage of non-invasive treatment options.
Book an appointment with QI Spine Clinic at 086558 85566 for we are a leading spine rehabilitation clinic that has helped avoid more than 13,000 surgeries to date with our non-surgical approach.
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