Posture
By Chad Evans, PT
Oh, My Posture!!
OMG! Or should I say OMP! For many of us, sitting with a good posture has become more difficult over the years. What happened to the days when we could sit up tall and not feel the need to have something to lean back against? Why do our backs start to hurt if we try to sit upright longer than a minute or two? Did we injure something?
Yoga helps improve posture.
Why do my back and neck hurt when I sit?
No, that would be too easy. That would give us an excuse to continue sitting with a rounded, comfortable posture. The chances are that slouched posture has evolved slowly over time. What had once started as a nice erect posture with our core muscles’ active use has now become a lazy, slumped posture. Truth be told, most of us are guilty of letting the ligaments, tendons, and discs that run down the back of our spine hold us upright (somewhat upright). This is what happens when we do not use our posture muscles to hold us upright. It takes a lot less energy for us to slouch. So, lets start learning about how you can improve your posture.
How do I improve my Posture?
Image of head retraction exercise.
To sit upright, we have to activate the muscles that run down the back of our spine and the deep stomach muscles. If you hold an upright position long enough, you will notice a dull ache or pain starting to creep into your back. This would be muscle fatigue. Fatigue of your back muscles can occur because they are too weak to maintain this posture. This is not how it should be. The normal design of our spine is to sit upright. We should sit comfortably longer than a minute or two before fatigues sets into the muscles. Unfortunately for many, this isn’t easy and thus results in poor posture. Habitually sitting slumped over ultimately puts a strain on the discs and ligaments in our back. Due to fatigue and weakness, this position can lead to degenerative changes and eventually back pain.
Now is the time to make a change. By making an effort each day to sit a little longer with an upright position, we can train our muscles of our body to work again. For your back’s sake, let start looking at changing our bodies today!
- Related Articles: Best Core Stabilization Exercises, Postural Awareness,
- Correct Driving Posture, Body Mechanics, & Proper Computer Posture
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By: Chad Evans, PT
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