Preventing Low Back Pain With Good Posture

[EricS]

You'd be surprised to know that good posture is very important while you are standing up, sitting at work, walking, driving a car or even sleeping.

A human spine is shaped like a narrow 'S'. When we slouch, the right hand curve of the S is exaggerated and our stomach and hips lean forward. This generates a lot of strain in the bottom part of the S, and leads to low back pain. A balanced and erect posture on the other hand allows the spine to relax.

Here are some good posture tips -

* When sitting the lower back should have adequate support - say a chair with a strong the back rest. The feet should also be kept flat on the floor.

* If you have to stand for a long time, make sure that you shift your weight frequently. Putting one foot on a step or a stool will reduce chances of stressing your back.

* We spend a lot of time sleeping everyday, so sleeping posture is important too. Sleeping on your side with knees bent and a cushion placed between them will help avoid back pain.

* Keeping your back straight when walking or running or exercising will prevent back strain.

* While driving tilt the sit back a little and close to the wheel so that knees and arms bend slightly.

Keep these simple tips in mind for a healthy and trouble free back.

[VideoBackCoach]

One of the tricks I learned to tell if you have good posture or not is to stand up straight and look down at your feet. You should only see your toes. If you see more than this part of the foot, you need to work on keeping better posture while standing.