In the past whenever I’ve heard someone say that posture is important, or that you can do damage if you don’t sit or stand currently i didn’t quite pay attention to the importance of it.
There is nothing worse than hearing:
“Stand up straight, or ” sit properly”, and “stop slouching!…”
However sometimes it can’t be helped.
I did assume like many other generally do that i was just being nagged at that it wasn’t really a “big deal”.
Oh how I was wrong!…
I have learnt that is this anything but the case.
What surprised me is that posture is one of the biggest causes of shoulder and neck pain today….
And when you realise just how easy it can be to rectify, you’ll be mind blown to think why don’t more people understand the importance of ‘good posture’.
The best way for me to explain this would be to give an example, close to heart, about my brother.
A couple of years back when i was still at university, my brother rang me up complaining of a really bad shoulder pain when he was running on the treadmill.
The pain would only come on after 5-10 minutes and would stop after a while, after he had stopped running.
Now my brother loves to keep fit, i.e. running, and going to the gym but he especially liked going to a weekly spinning class.
I’m sure you can imagine the position he would be in on the bike in this spinning class, he would be slumped over whilst pedalling.
I ended up spending some time with him trying to correct his position, keeping his back straight and shoulders high, and before he knew it, as if like magic his pain had disappeared…
Not by magic however, but by changing the dreadful position his body was put into each time he was working out. And that is how easy it was done.
Now don’t get me wrong, I joked on with him saying how clever I was and that I was the more superior of the family (which is in fact still true), but this is how easy it can be changed.
There is a few quick tips to help you spot you “bad posture” and how to improve on it.
Tip 1:
Look at yourself in the mirror. (Remember there can be signs of poor posture before pain even occurs, so if you can spot the signs early, it is often easier to fix.)
Signs of poor posture include:
- Slumped or rounded shoulders
- Protruding abdomen
- An excessive curve in your lower back
- A caved appearance to the chest
- And the one people usually notice last- Pain
Now to improve your standing and walking posture “Think tall”, imagine a wire being pulled from the top of your head pulling you upward.
Tip 2:
Another great tip I use myself is practice tightening your abdominal muscles and flattening your stomach. hold it this like for a few seconds, then relax, repeat this throughout the day.
Tip 3:
When standing for long periods a lot of people tend to rest their weight predominantly on one foot. Try instead standby evenly balanced on both feet and if this proves tiring, then shift the weight from one foot to another regularly.
One of the most common causes of poor posture is desk work, on computers for long periods of time, which puts the back and shoulders into an unnatural position.
Tip 4:
Try and take a break every 30 minutes and stand up during this break.
When sitting at a desk, lean forward at your hips, bringing your trunk forward, rather then bending at the waist or neck and try to keep your lower back pressed against the support of the chair.
This should really help improve you posture and prevent and problems from surfacing.
If you have anymore questions about the importance of posture, with shoulder and neck pain just ask and I’ll be more than happy to help.
Just remember….
“Think Tall.”
Speak soon,
Sammy Dakers 🙂
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And if you can’t wait till my next blog, find all my other blogs right here: http://www.paulgoughphysio.com/blog/samantha-dakers/
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OR if you would like to speak to one of our physio’s about your neck and shoulder pain simply press here: http://www.paulgoughphysio.com/talk
You might know Paul as an expert Columnist who writes weekly health articles for TWO of the North East's biggest daily Newspapers, The Northern Echo And The Hartlepool Mail, he is a regular Speaker at Industry Seminars around the globe and a Radio Personality, often heard on the BBC. Paul has been an expert guest on dozens of Radio shows and regularly interviewed in newspapers, magazines and trade journals all over the world, including the Guardian.
Paul’s background included working extensively in the Premier League with a Top Professional Football Team, and since quitting his job in Professional Football in 2007, his Physio Practice has become the fastest growing in the UK and biggest in the North East. So successful, that companies like BUPA, ASDA, The Vela Group And Coast & Country, repeatedly retain his Physio company's services to keep healthy their own staff and workforce. Paul Gough Physio Rooms is now a large multi-physio, multi clinic speciality practice in Darlington, Durham, Guisborough and Hartlepool.
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