If you need further clarification about postural and ergonomic stressors, give us a call at 202-257-1363 and we'll straighten your questions out.
In Bed:
Ok- so you are exhausted and finally get home. After a healthy and nutritious dinner (right?), you collapse into bed.
But you also have to pay attention here as well. After all you are supposed to be sleeping a good 8 hours a night. But even if you are not, keep some of these things in mind to improve posture problems while sleeping.
Consulting a healthcare provider is a good idea before attempting to improve posture issues. This pamphlet is designed for general advice only and is not meant to treat specific postural conditions.
So you are caught in the grind at a stressful job, with long hours sitting in the commute, at the desk, and in the commute again on the way home. Now that you think about it, you may be sitting all day long, and rarely give yourself a break to change positions. As it turns out, humans are simply not meant to sit for prolonged periods without a change in posture. But if you are stuck in this scenario, there are some easy things that you can do to minimize your back and neck pain.
So you sit down at your chair to start another day. Here are some easy tips to help improve posture and reduce pain:
At Work:
Let’s start first by looking at your position in the commute. First off, most car seats are not ergonomically designed, and those that claim to be so may not fit your body type perfectly. The idea here is to provide yourself with enough lower back support so that the natural curves of the spine are maintained. Frequently, car seats only preserve a minimal of lumbar curvature, and so driving in this position for upwards of an hour can become uncomfortable. IDEA: Place a small pillow behind the upper part of your lower back to better maintain the curvature. Small pillows are easily attainable at retail stores for around $5-$10.
Stand Straight!
So someone tells you that our back and neck pain may be related to your posture. But what does good posture mean? How do you correct your posture once it is bad? Correct posture is a simple matter of mechanics. The head, neck, and back all have to align properly to work efficiently. If the spine is in proper alignment, then the muscles that support them do not have to work as hard, and your pain can be reduced. To find proper posture, simply stand up with your heels, buttocks, shoulder blades, and head against a wall. The shoulders should be relaxed and the chin tucked, as in the picture.
Yes, believe it or not, this is good posture. The weight of the head sits on the shoulders, the shoulders sit over the hips, hips over the knees, knees over the ankles. If you can draw a straight line through each body part, then your body is in proper alignment. Now some people may not be able to get into this position easily- DO NOT FORCE IT, posture is something that must be corrected slowly and with care.
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