Simple Solutions for Back Pain: #5 Posture check

Check your posture and counter balance poor habits.

Poor posture is a primary cause of back pain.

Being hunched over at the computer or twisted in some way, sitting on a chair without lumbar support and keeping your back overly arched , working at your desk for long hours at a time,   driving, talking on a cell phone, standing long periods of time without supportive shoes, scrap- booking, painting,  cooking,  –  these are ways we get stuck in a non-supportive postural position and create or exacerbate back pain.                     

The Solution: Posture Check.

• Align and strengthen the muscles in your back to hold your bones in the right place. Train your posture on a consistent basis by increasing your awareness, improving your gait, and incorporating postural correction techniques into your exercise program.
• Learn good posture for sitting, standing, and sleeping.
• Take daily steps to change, condition and re-condition your muscles and ligaments. When you change poor habits, you simultaneously retrain your muscles to hold correct spinal alignment. Our muscles are designed to hold our bones in the proper alignment.

Tools and Tips:

• Lie on the Foam Roller 5 to 10 minutes in the morning or evening.
• Practice the Pilates Roll down series on the wall.
• Cultivate a daily Lower Back Stretch series.
•  Incorporate basic Yoga Asanas every morning or in the evening before bed.
• Invest in quality computer and desk chairs.  This can be a game changer when dealing with chronic neck and back pain.
• Use a lumbar support while working on a computer or driving long distances.
• Practice Pilates mat work several times a week.
• Practice Tai Chi.

Depending on your present posture and whether or not you have chronic back pain, it may take some time to return to functioning and eventually ideal posture.  Be patient.  Our bodies are designed to be in the right alignment.  As Joseph Pilates said, to move “efficiently.”