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.
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. Back muscles get tired because they are too weak to maintain this posture. This is not how it should be. Our spines are designed to sit upright. We should sit comfortably longer than a minute or two before the muscles get tired and sore. Unfortunately for many, this isn’t easy and thus results in a slumped posture. Habitually sitting with poor posture ultimately puts a strain on the discs and ligaments in our back. They get stretched out and weakened, leading 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, our posture muscles can be re-trained to work again. For your back’s sake, get started today.
To schedule for physical therapy at JOI Rehab, please call 904-858-7045.
- Related Article: Best Core Stabilization Exercises.
JOI and JOI Rehab
JOI Physicians continue to offer online new patient appointments. This is another option to make it more convenient to make new patient appointments with less phone hold times. Follow the link below to select your JOI MD and schedule online.
You can still call 904-JOI-2000 to make new patient JOI Physician Appointments if that is your preference.
To make appointments with JOI Rehab, please call 904-858-7045.
By: Chad Evans, PT
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