Poor posture is one of the most common reasons behind back pain. When you experience back pain, Your Back Pain Relief recommends one of the first things you should do is check your posture.
Many of us find checking our posture ourselves challenging. When you are not certain you can be 100% self-critical about your posture visiting a professional is a good alternative.
A physiotherapist or chiropractor can help by casting a critical eye over your current posture. A professional also asks you about your lifestyle and what you do for a living. Both contribute to posture and back pain.
But why does poor posture lead to back pain? Let’s find out more about the relationship between posture correctors and back pain.
Weak Muscles and Tendons
Two of the top causes of back pain are weak muscles and tendons. In the past 20 years, our lifestyles have become much more sedentary. We sit down more both at home and work. Some of us even work from home.
If we sit down in the wrong position, we don’t correctly support our muscles. The muscles and tendons that support our spine start shrinking. Subsequently, they lose their strength and elasticity.
When our muscles and tendons are not strong enough to support us, the result is often pain. As far as your back goes, you mainly notice pain in your upper or lower regions.
Compression of the Vertebrae in the Spine
Weak muscles and inflexible tendons can lead to more urgent conditions.
Often, poor posture and weak muscles are the two symptoms of back problems. Other symptoms of posture problems can include shooting pains which radiate down towards your hips and legs.
That is a sign that the nerves in the spine are affected. Sciatica is a common back pain problem often caused by poor posture. When the sciatic nerve is affected, you notice severe pain when moving and sitting.
Inflammation is one of the reasons for problems with the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve becomes inflamed as a result of poor posture.
When we sit or stand in the wrong position, we put direct pressure on the sciatic nerve. Continuous pressure on the sciatic nerve or the lumbar spine region can affect the vertebrae in the spine.
Your Abdominal Muscles Matter
When looking after our posture, abdominal muscles matter as much as back muscles. Forgetting about our stomach muscles is easy.
You may have noticed that many people who sit down excessively develop a pot belly. You don’t have to do 100 situps every day to prevent getting a pot belly. Sitting and standing in the correct position matters more than anything.
When you stand and sit correctly, the muscles in the abdominal area are stretched instead of slacked. That means they have to work to support your skeletal structure.
If we allow our stomach muscles to become too loose, we develop a pot belly. The fat that exists in our stomach starts pushing against the abdominal wall.
Extra weight further leads to posture problems or makes your posture appear worse. Carrying around excess weight also leads to back pain when your weight is located around the core. A defined pot belly is a sign that you have poor posture which can lead to back pain.
What is Good Posture?
Let’s use our desk and computer as an example. In a perfect world, your computer screen should be at eye level. That means your neck is in a good position. Your head is neither too high nor too low.
You should sit with both feet comfortably on the floor or on a support stool. Legs, hips, and lower spine should always be relaxed when sitting. If you notice tension in any part of your body, look at your posture. What are you doing wrong?
Correcting Poor Posture
As we all know, prevention is better than cure. However, many of us can’t help to develop posture problems. When you suspect you are experiencing back pain because of posture problems taking immediate action is essential. You don’t want problems to get worse.
Using a Back Support
Using back support helps to prevent and correct posture problems. You can buy back supports that you can fix to the back of a chair. Back supports are also great for sitting on the sofa or driving long distances.
Ergonomic Chairs and Sofas
If you work for a company in a modern office, you probably already use an ergonomic chair. Many homeworkers don’t have ergonomic chairs.
When working from home, you should invest in your home office environment. If you want to sit down when you work, one of the best solutions is an ergonomic chair. You can buy ergonomic chairs with built-in back support online or in local stores.
Don’t forget to check out your sofa or favorite armchair. Does it have built-in back support?
Standing Desks
A better alternative to a regular desk is a standing desk. A standing desk helps to correct posture, but like all other desks, you must place your computer screen at the correct level. Remember the screen should always be at eye level.
Also, you should not have to raise your shoulders to work on the keyboard. Your shoulders play a vital part when it comes to good posture.
Exercising For Better Posture
Two of the best exercises for better posture are swimming and walking. Both help to re-align your spine, muscles, and tendons. Specialist shoes such as Masai walking shoes help to improve posture quickly.
Once you have been swimming or walking for a while, think about adding other non-aerobic exercises. The best gentle exercises for poor posture include yoga, pilates, and tai-chi.
Final Thoughts
It is not only sitting down that causes poor posture. Keep an eye on how you lift and carry things as well. Carrying a heavy bag on the same shoulder all of the time means risking poor posture.
You can recover from poor posture. Be patient and find out what works best for you.
