Far from running straight from head to hips, the spine has three natural bends: the lumbar curve of the lower back, the thoracic curve of the middle back, and the cervical curve of the upper back and neck. Keeping these as neutral as possible will help you keep perfect posture!
To attain good posture and rehabilitate back injuries, you must maintain each curve’s proper flow with no exaggerated or decreased angles.
The back is curved this way to dynamically bear our weight as we move around. The problem is, so many of our daily tasks are sedentary: driving, desk work, standing bent over kitchen sink…the list goes on.
Prolonged sitting tends to decrease the lumbar curve of the lower back and hunching increases the cervical curve of the upper back. So sitting while hunched can cause two problems at once!
To prevent both from happening, start by periodically placing your palms on your lower back and arching it back during prolonged sitting, to restore the lumbar curve, immediately afterward try looking upward and behind yourself for ten seconds to forcibly realign your cervical curve.
Prolonged standing may cause middle back pain, but this is usually due to its tendency to increase the lumbar and thoracic curves, as opposed to decreasing them with sitting. This is often referred to as a standing-swayback posture. A good way to prevent it is to occasionally rest one foot up on top of a nearby knee-high object when standing, and always remember to periodically bend at the waist and touch your toes.
Of course, a regimented stretching program is essential to maintaining the flexibility and strength required for good posture. Try adding these exercises to your weekly routine:
Rhomboid Stretch
A true classic! Sitting with good posture, place one arm at shoulder level across the front of your body. Use the opposite arm to apply a gentle downward force pressing the extended arm toward your body, but without ever shrugging your shoulders up. Best performed twice daily for 30 seconds on each side, the rhomboid stretch is felt across the posterior shoulder region and toward the middle back.
Lat Pull-Downs
When at the gym, grasp the seated pull-down bar at a little wider than your shoulder width with palms forward. At a comfortable weight, carefully pull toward your chest while squeezing your shoulder blades together and slowly return to the starting position. Best performed in three sets of 12 repetitions with 30-second breaks between sets, lat pull-downs should be felt throughout the middle and upper back.
Achieving proper posture means maintaining the spine’s natural curves. To ensure your stretching program appropriately reflects your current lifestyle and rehabilitation goals, consider scheduling an educational session with a personal trainer near you!
Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer. He owns Karp Personal Training and Rehabilitation Inc. located in Burnaby. For further information call his office at 420-7800 or visit their web site www.karpfitness.com.