The American Chiropractic Association states that 31 million Americans experience back pain - the leading cause of disability worldwide, and one of the most common reasons for missing work. The good news is that it's possible to reduce the likelihood of back pain by improving and maintaining good posture, and with a few simple lifestyle changes, it's easy to do. So what is good posture, and how can you achieve it?
Key points about posture
Posture refers to the way you hold your body whilst standing, sitting or lying down. When you maintain correct posture, your bones, joints, ligaments and muscles can work together effectively, without causing irritation, sprains, ruptures or pain. Sitting or standing up straight also helps you with centering your gravity, meaning you are less likely to overbalance or fall.
There may be a physical reason for poor posture. For example, if your muscles are overly tight or inflexible, you may experience a decreased range of motion, or if you have poor core muscles, you may often slump as it is more difficult to stay steady. Injuries can affect posture too - when you are in pain, there is a natural inclination to avoid moving or resting in certain positions which aggravate, but this might actually lead to further pain in the future as your muscles adapt to a different way of being.
What is good posture?
Good posture means standing or sitting up straight, with even shoulders, a neutral spine and neck (with no arching or flexing), even hips and knees, arms at your sides with elbows straight, and your chin parallel to the floor. Your body weight should be distributed evenly on both feet. The same applies to sitting - try to face straight ahead, and keep your shoulders, hips and knees at even height. Bracing your abdominal muscles as you sit or stand will help you to develop great core strength, further aiding in maintaining good posture, and strengthening your neck muscles will help you hold your head up straight too. Using neck strengthening exercises to help with posture also has the benefit of alleviating neck pain at the same time, which makes you less likely to fall into poor posture habits.
Better posture won't only benefit pain levels and balance; it will help other areas of your health too. You'll find you can breathe more easily, filling your lungs deeply when you draw breath, as well as feeling more confident (that's where the phrase 'stand tall' comes from) and seeing improvements in your digestion. In the long term, you'll benefit from greater functionality and a happy back.
Making some small changes now can make a big difference to your future health and enjoyment of life. By thinking about how you sit, stand or lie down, and how you might do it differently, you can identify the areas you need to work on to improve wellbeing and reduce pain, boosting your mood and your confidence as you do.
