Have you visited a health professional to hear them say "You need to improve your posture...". We have all heard the words "sit up straight" or "shoulders back" but how do we really know what is the perfect posture when our bodies are all so different?
With so many people experiencing some sort of back pain, it isn’t surprising that posture, and the pursuit of the perfect posture, has been such a big part in the management of back pain.
The truth is, some of us were born with, or have developed, a certain “sub optimal” posture that probably doesn’t need to be changed. Maybe we just need to break away from a posture that may be creating our back pain - which means... MOVE!
The amount of sitting we do in our modern lifestyle is arguably a much bigger issue. From sitting in the car to/from work, sitting at work, to sit back on the couch once we get home… hmmm a lot of sitting you think?
The take home message is, no matter what your posture is, change it. Movement is medicine.
A few tips for improving your posture through ergonomics and moving...
1. If you sit at a desk for the majority of your day SIT TALL when typing, LEAN BACK when taking phonecalls, LEAN FORWARD when writing notes. You are moving (yet in a seated posture). 2. Instead of emailing a work mate, walk over to them. 3. Take a walk at lunch and put reminders on your phone or computer to move for 5 minutes between a task or every 30mins- 1 hour.
For more information on how you can best manage your posture each day contact Body Align Physio and book in with one of our physiotherapists!
