I remember during our younger days, our parents or teachers would instruct us to drink our milk, eat our vegetables, sit up straight, don’t slouch, stand up straight, walk with our chest out, and straighten our shoulders. When the drilling of our parents and teachers is frequent enough, we might get used to doing things the right way and form good habits that help our body function.
While some of us continue maintaining these good habits, most don’t until we find ourselves getting back pain or back injury. While we go about our daily activities, a reminder of the following points on what to avoid and the constant practice of good habits will certainly help us go through the day with an optimum balance in our body, mind, and spirit.
How do we look after our posture?
1. Having the right office chair and table
We spend almost a third of our time in a sitting position, hence we want to avoid having tables and chairs that are not ideal for our back posture.
If the chair height or backrest cannot be adjusted to our body size, we could be sitting with poor posture and this willl result in back pain, shoulder aches, and neck aches.
The right kind of sitting posture in front of our computer would allow us to sit up with our back and neck straight, our shoulders relaxed, arms and thigh parallel to the floor and feet resting flat on the ground. The top part of the monitor should in at the same level or lower than our eyes.
Having an ergonomic office chair and adjustable desk would be a good investment to enjoy stress-free posture and a wholesome internally balanced body.
The best kinds of ergonomic office chairs come with a load of different types of adjustments such as seat height, seat depth, backrest recline and tilt tension, armrests height, width and angle and headrests adjustments.
They also often have a very comfortable lumbar support that fits the natural curvature of your back as well. All these features allow you to have proper sitting posture as you work in front of your computer the entire day.
While having the right office chair and desk can is essential for proper posture, it is always good to get up, stretch and walk around every hour or so, this can make a big difference as our bodies are not designed to sit for lengthy periods of time.
2. Handling heavy objects
Lifting or moving heavy objects, beyond our capability, must be avoided. This is the surest way to get a twisted back or slip disc and not only does it posts a danger to you but may also cause injury to others.
Getting an extra person to help or using a trolley to move heavy objects will improve the physical stress on your back.
Also, if you do need to lift something heavy by yourself, always squat down with your back straight up, avoid bending your back in order to pick up the heavy object.
3. Having proper posture
Whether sitting, walking or even putting on clothes and shoes, there can be some form of poor posture. The spine's position is crucial to good posture.
The spine has three natural curves: at the neck, in the mid/upper back, and the lower back. Correct posture should keep these curves but not accentuate them. Ideally, the top of your shoulder should be over your hips, and your head should be above your shoulders.
4. Watching your diet
We are always tempted by everything around us, especially tasty junk food. We can avoid overeating unhealthy food or indulging in desserts and titbits. Instead, enjoy a good mix of foods that will help to strengthen the body and keep our spine strong.
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Protein e.g. beans, lentils, or meat-based e.g chicken and fish to support the formation and maintenance of bone
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Seafood e.g. salmon, cod, scallops, shrimp
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Vegetables with strong pigments for vitamins and minerals
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High calcium dairy e.g. milk, cheese, yogurt. Eat in moderation to avoid too much fat.
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Magnesium from fruits helps your body to absorb calcium e.g. bananas, guava, kiwi, and strawberries. Eat in moderation to avoid too much sugar
5. Sleeping on the right bed
The wrong mattress can cause or aggravate lower back pain. A mattress that does not provide adequate support for good sleeping posture strains muscles and does not help to keep the spine in alignment - this will contribute to low back pain.
Many people believe that a firm mattress is the best option for a bad back, but this is not always the case. A firm mattress, on the other hand, will not accommodate the natural curvature of the spine and may cause additional problems. According to one study, medium-firm mattresses typically provide more back pain relief than firm mattresses.
Sleep comfort is also compromised if a mattress does not correspond to one's personal preferences. A mattress that provides both comfort and back support can help reduce low back pain by allowing the spine's structures to truly rest and rejuvenate during the night.
6. Exercising
Exercises with high impact, such as soccer, basketball and high-impact aerobics, can put pressure on the disc and cause further injury. Avoid twisting movements, such as golf, as they can aggravate back pain.
Exercises such as walking, swimming, and biking can all help with back pain relief. Begin with short sessions and gradually increase in duration of time.
If your back hurts, try swimming. Much of your body is buoyant while you swim as the water supports it. Compared to other forms of exercise, this is far easier on your joints and spine. Swimming also works muscles that you don't often use, particularly those necessary to increase the stability of your spine.
There is a lot of scientific evidence that exercise and increased overall fitness reduce the risk of developing back pain and can help with the symptoms of back pain once they start.
7. Seeking treatment for back injury
If you are currently suffering from back pain, go seek treatment as soon as possible. Back pain or neck pain may be serious in the case of an injury e.g. a fall, or vehicle accident.
If such pain does not improve within a week, or if the pain is excruciating, consult a doctor right away to have tests performed to diagnose the problem. Aside from fractures and severe spinal conditions, doctors prefer to try nonsurgical treatments for at least three months before recommending surgery.
Most people who suffer from back pain improve rather than deteriorate. Even people with degenerative spine changes tend to improve over time. Typically, only a small percentage of patients with degenerative lumbar conditions require surgery. When severe pain does not improve, surgery may be recommended.
Doctors frequently advise their patients to see a chiropractor and a physical therapist. Chiropractic treatment typically focuses on spinal dysfunction caused by structural issues such as spinal misalignment. They achieve this through manual or mechanical adjustments.
Physical therapists will use exercises and stretches to target the muscles and ligaments that run around and over the spine. Lower back pain affects all of these structures, which must be addressed to be properly treated.
Conclusion
In conclusion, by taking care of your posture, you can prevent back, neck, and shoulder pains from occurring.
By sitting and standing with good posture, you are less likely to experience these discomforts. Also, if you are sitting for long hours, try getting an ergonomic office chair if you can afford one.
Additionally, be sure to exercise regularly and stretch often to keep your muscles strong and flexible. Finally, if you do experience back, neck, or shoulder pain, be sure to consult a doctor for advice on how to best alleviate the pain.
Author Bio: Daniel Thomas
Daniel is a full-time blogger and founder of Basigue.com, he also runs an online store Rytrus.com. Daniel has experience in dropshipping, creating Shopify online stores, affiliate marketing, and running pay-per-click digital advertisements like Facebook and Google Ads as well as SEO. In his free time, he loves playing games or watching anime with his wife.
