- Anatomy of The Spine
- Back Pain in Children
- Caring for your Spine
- Emerging Spinecare Trends
- Evaluation of Spinal Disorders
- Exercise and The Spine
- Intervention - Spinal Disorders
- Intervertebral Disc
- Non Surgical Options
- Nutrition and Spinecare
- Options for Spine Treatments
- Pregnancy and Back Pain
- Prevalence of Spine Disorders
- Sleep and the Spine
- Spinecare Introduction
- Spinehealth and Disease
- Surgical Interventions
- Treatment with Medications
- Understanding Back Pain
Spinecare Topics
Caring for your Spine
Postural Awareness
1 2 3 4
Postural Awareness
The Right Posture
The right posture may take some work to acquire. If you are used to having a chronically bad posture, you are going to have to work hard to muscles. By practicing good posture you will reprogram neurological patterning within the spinal cord and brain. Good posture will subsequently become unconscious. A simple posture exercise is performed by standing against a wall with your heels approximately 2-3 inches away from the wall. Try to move the small of the back closer to the wall by contracting your abdominal muscles. This action will result in a pelvic tilt. Keep the knees in a slight flexed position. This may be tiring at first, but practice will reinforce the correct muscle actions.
Common Postural Deviations/Abnormalities
Common postural abnormalities include:
To maintain a good sitting posture, consider the following:
Position the Pelvis: Healthy sitting requires that you pay attention to the position of your pelvis. The location of the pelvis influences the posture of the low back and the rest of the spine. Position your tailbone as far back in the chair as possible without having to lean forward to perform any tasks. Bring the body into an upright position.
Keep your Pelvis and Head Aligned: As you become familiar with proper sitting posture you will need to adjust your position frequently so not to place stress on the back at the same angle for prolonged periods for time. The primary goal is to keep your head, body and pelvic in alignment.
Use a Good Chair: The more you sit the more your posture will conform to the chair that you are using. Get a chair with proper support.
Use Proper Supports in Unsupported Chairs: The chair should provide adequate low back support. If the chair does not have adequate back support create support by placing a lumbar support pillow behind the low back. There are many commercial lumbar pillows available.
Take Micro Breaks: It is important to take frequent small breaks (micro beaks) and move around. You should move or change position every 30 minutes.
Good Posture while Walking:
The right posture may take some work to acquire. If you are used to having a chronically bad posture, you are going to have to work hard to muscles. By practicing good posture you will reprogram neurological patterning within the spinal cord and brain. Good posture will subsequently become unconscious. A simple posture exercise is performed by standing against a wall with your heels approximately 2-3 inches away from the wall. Try to move the small of the back closer to the wall by contracting your abdominal muscles. This action will result in a pelvic tilt. Keep the knees in a slight flexed position. This may be tiring at first, but practice will reinforce the correct muscle actions.
Common Postural Deviations/Abnormalities
Common postural abnormalities include:
- Forward head posture
- Lumbar hyperlordosis
- Hyperextended knees
- Stooped or slumped posture
- Winging shoulder blade or blades
- Pronation
- Round shouldered (hyperkyphotic thoracic spine)
- Uneven shoulders
- Uneven pelvis
To maintain a good sitting posture, consider the following:
Position the Pelvis: Healthy sitting requires that you pay attention to the position of your pelvis. The location of the pelvis influences the posture of the low back and the rest of the spine. Position your tailbone as far back in the chair as possible without having to lean forward to perform any tasks. Bring the body into an upright position.
Keep your Pelvis and Head Aligned: As you become familiar with proper sitting posture you will need to adjust your position frequently so not to place stress on the back at the same angle for prolonged periods for time. The primary goal is to keep your head, body and pelvic in alignment.
Use a Good Chair: The more you sit the more your posture will conform to the chair that you are using. Get a chair with proper support.
Use Proper Supports in Unsupported Chairs: The chair should provide adequate low back support. If the chair does not have adequate back support create support by placing a lumbar support pillow behind the low back. There are many commercial lumbar pillows available.
Take Micro Breaks: It is important to take frequent small breaks (micro beaks) and move around. You should move or change position every 30 minutes.
Good Posture while Walking:
- Try to keep your head over your shoulders
- Keep your shoulders over your hips
- Keep your head up high
- Use a soft landing (foot strike)
- Walk smoothly
1 2 3 4
