Have you ever experienced abrupt and intense back pain after sticking to your office desk for a whole day? Never ignore this by thinking about it as a coincidence, understanding the connection between back pain and poor bad posture is vital for maintaining a healthy spine. This blog will delve deeper into this connection, looking at how poor back posture can strain your muscles, joints, and discs, resulting in discomfort and pain. Apart from offering a brief about the science behind this connection, we added some practical tips and insights into prevent or relieve back pain by improving your poor back posture.
So just take a deep breath, sit up straight, and know how a small change in your posture makes a huge difference for your back health.
What is a proper posture?
There is no proper or improper posture. Everyone’s body is different, so don’t constantly worry about having proper posture every time. Even certain studies have suggested that bad postures will negatively impact your self-esteem and think you look good rather than healthy. You can be mindful about sitting or moving safely but try not to bother about it every time.
As we mentioned before, there is no proper posture that suits everyone in all situations, but you can follow a few general rules to improve your posture and relieve back pain. You can protect your spin curves by maintaining a good posture.
Simply, your spine has three curves, one in your neck, the second in the middle of your back, and the last in your lower back. All these curves give your spine a shape like a gently curved uppercase S. Your posture should not be bent or flexed in a way that adds more curves to any section of your spine, whenever it starts imposing any pain reach out to the best neurosurgery hospital in Coimbatore and get solutions for all your posture-related issues.
What are the types of poor posture?
The four main poor posture types include:
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Hunched shoulders:
This happens when your shoulders round forward, due to chronic desk work or carrying heavy bags.
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Forward head posture:
This type is known as “text neck,” and people who look down at their devices are more prone to this.
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Slouching and swayback:
In this, your lower back will collapse, while swayback means binge arching of the lower spine.
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Rounded back:
This is often seen in individuals who sit in poor back posture for a long time, this posture gives a hunched appearance and strains the spine.
Further, let’s see details about good postures, their importance, and tips to improve your posture.
What should you do to get a good posture?
Your body automatically controls lots of postures, but there are a few things left that you can do from your end to maintain a good and healthy posture to relieve back pain.
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Keep your head above your shoulder:
Don’t put your neck back and never heavily hang your head in front of you.
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Keep your shoulders above the hip:
Think that there is an imaginary line running between hips to shoulders. Try to maintain that line as straight as possible. In case you are sitting down, try to keep a 90-degree angle that is between your back and hips.
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Maintain your lower body in a stable position:
The finest place to keep your legs and feet depends on whether you are standing or sitting. Keep your feet flat on the floor in front of you with your knees bent when sitting. If your feet are not enough to reach the floor, try using a footrest. While standing, maintain your feet hip-distance apart. Try to position your body, so most of your weight will be on the balls of your feet.
Why is proper posture crucial?
Just by maintaining a good posture, you can escape from neck, back, and shoulder pains. With proper posture when working out or performing a physical activity you can prevent yourself from sports injuries.
Sticking to a healthy posture can reduce wear and tear on your joints, notably in the spine. Also, you need to understand that maintaining good posture cannot completely relieve back pain, but it can reduce stress on your joints.
What’s the connection between poor back posture and back pain?
There is a complex connection between poor back posture and back pain, simply influencing each other in a cycle. Also, poor back posture is not the only reason for your back pain, it plays a crucial role in its development.
Further, let’s see how bad posture contributes to back pain:
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Muscle strain and imbalance:
Poor back posture when slouching will add uneven strain on your muscles and ligaments in your back. This results in muscle fatigue, tightness, and pain as well.
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More pressure on joints:
When your spine is out of alignment due to improper posture, uneven pressure develops on the joints between your vertebrae. Over time, it can result in inflammation, pain, and joint degeneration.
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Disc compression:
The discs in your spine will be compressed due to chronic poor back posture, which may lead to disc herniation and pinched nerves, cause pain and slowly move down to your legs.
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Reduced blood flow:
Bad postures will limit your blood flow to your spinal tissues, disturbing their ability to heal and repair themselves, highly contributing to persistent pain. Fix bad posture to regulate your blood flow.
What are the common causes of bad posture?
Maintaining a good posture is not just about looking good but is also crucial for long-term spinal health and preventing pain. Due to this modern lifestyle, we will often slouch, hunch, and misaligning may lead to different posture problems. Further, let’s have a look at the most common culprits behind poor back posture and how they impact our backs:
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Sitting for a long time:
This is the main enemy of good posture, prolonged sitting will impair your condition and make it tough to relieve back pain. Glued to the chair for hours will weaken your core muscles supporting the spine. This may lead to slouching and rounded shoulders, and further you will experience neck, shoulder, and lower back pain. Just imagine this like a house with weak foundation beams, however the structure will crumble.
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Insufficient physical activity:
Prolonged sitting not only affects your fitness but also disturbs your flexibility and posture. Without consistent activity, muscles like the chest and hamstrings will tighten, pulling our bodies out of alignment. Imagine a rubber band, they restrict movement and create tension, this tightness not only stops by restricting movement but also creates pain and discomfort, further, this will make it tough to maintain a good posture.
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Wearing high heels or carrying heavy objects:
High heels will change our center of gravity and shift gait, resulting in poor posture and back pain. Following improper lifting techniques will strain back muscles, resulting in poor back posture over time. Imagine what will happen when you overload the shelf, automatically it will collapse due to imbalance.
Certain tips to improve your poor back posture:
Maintaining a good posture is not just about aesthetics, it is vital for preventing pain, enhancing mobility, and boosting your overall well-being. Further, let’s delve into the tips:
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Stand tall:
Assume that the string is pulling from your head, your core is engaged, relax your shoulders, and don’t slouch. Understand that, good posture is a conscious choice, not a passive state.
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Consistent stretching:
When your muscles are tight it will pull your body out of alignment. To improve your flexibility and posture stretch your neck, chest, and hamstrings
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Strengthen your core:
The base for good posture is a strong core. To build spinal stability and improve core strength follow exercises like planks and bridges.
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Ergonomics matter:
Use a supportive chair with good lumbar support and adjust the height of your monitor and desk to promote a neutral spine position
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Avoid slouch-inducing habits:
Stay mindful of your posture every time. Don’t carry heavy bags on your shoulder, don’t keep your legs crossed for long hours, and hunch over your phone. Further, using mobile phones for long hours will affect your eyesight as well.
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Frequent breaks:
Simply, a sedentary lifestyle will kill your posture. At least for every 30 minutes stand up and move around, it can be either a quick walk or stretch.
How does poor posture disturb your movement?
Bad posture usually disturbs your natural alignment and range of motion and flexibility. When there is misalignment in your spine, muscles and joints should compensate, resulting in stiffness and reduced mobility. After some time, certain muscles will be worked a lot and others will weaken, developing imbalances that hinder smooth and coordinated movements.
Further, bad postures will increase pressure on your spinal discs, further, it can restrict your movement and cause discomfort. All these effects make everyday activities such as walking, bending, or lifting more painful and challenging.
How does bad posture disturb the nervous system?
Poor postures can negatively affect your nervous system by compressing and misaligning the spine, distorting the spinal cord, a significant part of the nervous system. When the spinal cord is not aligned properly, nerves will branch out from the spinal cord and become pinched and compressed, affecting the signals shared between the brain and the rest of the body. This may trigger symptoms like tingling, numbness, and pain, often radiating to the limbs.
For example, forward head posture or slouching can add more pressure to the cervical spine, disturb the nerves in the neck, and cause headaches or arm pain. Likewise, poor back posture can pinch sciatic nerves, resulting in shooting pain or weakness in the legs. Over time these will not just cause discomfort but also disturb motor functions and coordination, showcasing how poor postures can deeply affect overall nervous system health.
How can I check and correct my posture?
Just stand tall, look in a mirror, and observe your body alignments. Notice if your shoulders and hips are level, and your head held high. Look for slouching or unevenness. Further, concentrate on your body as well. Observe how you sit, stand, and walk for a whole day. In case, you are slouching, hunching over, or straining your neck? Reach out to the best spine doctor in Coimbatore to get effective treatment and fix your good posture.
Also, never think I’m too late to concentrate on my posture. At any time, you can start concentrating on your posture to relieve back pain. Simply, the longer you wait, the more it will be tough to enhance your posture once you start focusing on it. Muscles will be weakened and atrophy, and abnormal stresses on discs.
Final thoughts:
In conclusion, we can say that poor back posture is not the only culprit, but it can potentially contribute to back pain through joint pressure, muscle strain, and disc issues. Some other common triggers include prolonged sitting, bad ergonomics, and inactivity worsened posture, developing a bad cycle. Fortunately, simple steps such as mindful standing, continuous stretching, core strengthening, ergonomic adjustments, and limited slouching habits can assist in reclaim good posture and relieve back pain, promote a healthier and more comfortable you. Also, remember that consistency and professional guidance are crucial for lasting results. Simply invest in your well-being, and feel the better version of yourself.
