Posture
One of the Five Facets of Health
Correct posture reduces stress on body joints, the spine and the nervous system which are three good reasons to maintain good posture. Stress on our spinal posture occurs when we reduce or reverse the normal arches in our spinal columns which occur frequently during most peoples daily routines.
When you look at a human spine from a side view, the neck and lower back should have a backward C appearance with a normal C arch visible in the mid back. It is important to remember that a prolong straightening or reversal of these curves can lead to repetitive stress injuries such as: lower back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain and carpal tunnel syndrome.
Nature did not design our bodies for long periods of repetitive motions such as sitting at a keyboard all day or posture that exhaust our muscles such as prolonged bending or standing, which most of us do daily. Here are some simple but effective techniques to use throughout the day that will help maintain the natural arches in our spine:
- When sitting for long periods of time, always place an arch support in your chair. The support can be as simple as a rolled up towel or a lumbar pillow you can buy at the chiropractic office.
- When standing for long periods of time, always try to place one foot on a railing of some sort or something similar. This is why you always see foot railings around the bottom of bars. Railings have been proven to make standing less stressful.
- When you’re sleeping, always try to sleep on your back or side and never on your stomach. Use a pillow that keeps your head parallel to your mattress. Your head should not be to low or too high on your pillow.
Functional training exercises such as CrossFit, are designed to strengthen and improve our normal daily posture including standing, squatting, lifting, bending or most any normal daily physical routine that we experience.
Preventative Chiropractic care is always a good choice to assist in maintaining good spinal posture. Here’s an exercise that you can do to improve your posture; simply back up to a wall and make sure that the back of your head is touching the wall as well as your shoulder blades and your buttocks. Practice this daily and soon you will have better posture.
Dr. Joel Desaulniers