We all have heard that good posture is essential for our health and wellbeing, while bad posture can lead to all sorts of difficulties — from chronic lower back pain to degenerative spine disease. Correct posture isn’t just a matter of “you have it or you don’t.” With a little bit of practice, everyone can improve their posture for the better. Better posture will help you:
- Keep your bones and joints in alignment
- Reduce stress on the ligaments that hold your spine together, reducing the likelihood of injury
- Improve muscle efficiency and reduce fatigue and strains
- Feel more comfortable and relaxed
Proper posture has an overall uplifting effect on many areas of your health. By maintaining good posture, you are targeting many of the structural factors that contribute to lower back pain and other more severe spine-related issues. Poor posture, on the other hand, can exacerbate strain and make one more prone to injury, along with contributing negatively to your general sense of wellbeing.
If you are experiencing constant back pain or discomfort, it’s a good idea to consider implementing some of the following suggestions. However, as every person’s situation is unique, we encourage you to also call our spine doctor’s office in Dallas today. The Center for Spine Care is dedicated to providing safe and innovative treatment for all our patients, offering solutions to get you back out and living your life more fully. So reach out today and request an appointment!
Start Improving Your Posture Today
Posture is all about how we position our bodies, whether while sitting, standing, or laying down. It is not something we are usually conscious of, which brings us to our first point:
#1: Be Mindful About Your Body’s Positioning
We all have a general sense of what good posture involves — straight, relaxed, with our weight distributed as evenly as possible. By paying attention to your body’s position just a bit more, you will find yourself automatically correcting how you are positioned to be less stressful. As you make adjustments, over time your new posture will gradually replace your old one. This process takes time, so be patient and persistent. Talk to your spine doctor to develop a custom strategy for what exactly will most significantly impact your posture transformation process. CSC in Dallas can assist by recommending exercises to help strengthen your core postural muscles. We can also help by showing you proper postures for your different activities, from sitting at the computer to walking or laying down. Call us today!
#2: Exercise
After mindfulness, one of the next most powerful ways to improve your posture is exercise. Weight-bearing exercises, in particular, will help you build the requisite body strength to better support improved alignment. Some helpful exercises include:
- Leg extensions
- Side planks
- Crunches
- Crossovers
- Planks
As you can see, the main focus for exercises that improve posture is to strengthen your core, as doing so will have the biggest impact on improving posture and easing symptoms. When doing these exercises, it’s important to do them slowly and with controlled movements. Do enough reps to feel it, but don’t work out so hard that you start experiencing pain. Take your time and pay attention to how you’re feeling while doing them.
More to Come…
We have a lot more tips to come in the coming weeks and months about improving your posture. Posture improvement is something you can start working on today to start addressing your back problems. However, sometimes your symptoms are more severe or you have other medical problems. That’s why we encourage you to contact our Dallas office) before you start any posture exercise program. Remember: small adjustments through mindfulness of how you are sitting can have a snowball effect. When proper posture becomes the new normal for you, you may find your back pain or peripheral sense of discomfort fades away.
This is only Part 1 of a multi-part series. Stay tuned for Part 2!
