Spine Specialist Tips That Will Improve Your Posture

You’ve probably been told that good posture is important, but never why it's important. Sitting and standing up straight can impact your overall physical health, but also, help relieve your back pain.

Avoid Back Pain and Other Ailments

By keeping your spine properly aligned, you can minimize the risk of injury to your back, shoulders, and other areas. This is because when your body is upright, you place less strain on these muscles. Good posture may also help alleviate conditions such as headaches, fatigue, and trouble breathing.

How to Sit and Stand Properly

It may be difficult to sit or stand up straight after years of slouching. It may feel normal to let your muscles slack, especially if you sit for a large portion of your day. Here are some tips to help you sit and stand with good posture:

Sitting

1. Keep your feet on the floor or on a foot rest

2. Don’t cross your legs and keep your ankles aligned with your knees

3. Keep a gap between your knees and your seat

4. Adjust your seat to help your lower and mid-back

If you need more back support, add a cushion between your back and the backrest of the chair

If you are sitting too high or low in a desk it could harm your posture

5. Relax your shoulders and keep them parallel to the ground

6. Avoid sitting in the same position for long periods of time

Standing

1. Try to rest your weight on the balls of your feet

2. Keep your knees slightly bent

3. Keep your feet shoulder length apart

4. Let your arms hang naturally

5. Keep your head level and your ears in line with your shoulders

6. Shift your weight between feet if you start to feel uncomfortable

Improving your posture can go a long way. You may notice that ailments such as headaches, fatigue, and breathing problems become less frequent. Pain in the back, neck, knee, hip, foot, shoulder, and jaw may even decrease. Practicing good posture is an important step you can take to improve your health by reducing strain on your body.

Author

Nick Flory Nick is the Marketing Manager for Elite Sports Medicine + Orthopedics. He has been writing and reviewing medical content since 2018. https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholasflory/