With the passage of time, poor posture may be caused by habits from your daily activities such as sitting in office chairs, staring at the computer, cradling a cell phone, carrying a purse over same shoulder, driving, prolonged standing, caring for small children, or even sleeping.
Warning signs of back pain caused by poor ergonomics and posture:
The main reason of Back pain result is poor ergonomics and posture if the back pain is worse at certain times of day or week.
Pain that starts in the neck and moves downwards into the upper back, lower back, and extremities.
Pain that goes away after switching positions like sudden back pain that is experienced with a new job, a new office chair, or a new car; and/or back pain that comes and goes for months.
Exercise regularly:
- Lie flat on the ground for two to three minutes once a day without using any cushions or support and relax to allow your body.
- Do simple head movements to help loosen tightened neck muscles.
- Do gentle exercises such as those in yoga and Pilates to help strengthen the support muscles in your back and stomach and improve your posture.
- Spend 10 minutes a day doing simple stretching exercises.
- Stand tall, which means straightening your spine
Keep the body alignment:
- While standing, try to distribute body weight evenly to the front, back, and sides of the feet.
- While sitting in an office chair, take advantage of the chair's features.
- Sit up straight and align the ears, shoulders, and hips in one vertical line.
Get up and move:
- In order to relax and to supported posture, change positions frequently.
- One way is to take a break from sitting in an office chair every half hour for two minutes in order to stretch, stand, or walk.
Increase awareness of posture and ergonomics in everyday settings:
- Aware other people of posture and ergonomics at work, at home, and at play is a vital step towards instilling good posture and ergonomic techniques.
Wear supportive footwear:
- Avoid wearing high-heeled shoes, which can dangerously affect the body’s center of gravity.
- Standing for long periods of time, propping a leg up on a foot rest, wearing supportive shoe orthotics, or placing a rubber mat on the floor can improve comfort.
Rounded shoulders:
Rounded shoulders are usually caused by poor posture habits, muscle imbalances and focusing too much on certain exercises, such as too much focus on chest strength while neglecting the upper back.
Exercises to strengthen your core, upper back and chest muscles will help correct rounded shoulders:
- Plank
- Bridges
- Seated rows in a gym or pull-ups
- Chest stretches
Cradling your phone:
When you hold your phone handset between your ear and shoulder places strain on the muscles of the neck, upper back and shoulders. The neck and shoulders are not meant to hold this position for any length of time.
With the passage of time, this posture can place strain on the muscles and other soft tissues, and lead to muscle imbalances between the left and right side of your neck.
Exercises for neck stiffness and pain:
- Chest stretches
- Neck stretches – slowly lower your left ear towards your left shoulder; hold for 10 to 15 deep breaths, then repeat on opposite side
- Neck rotations – slowly turn your chin towards one shoulder; hold for 10 to 15 deep breaths, then repeat on opposite side
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