Of all the things you can do to improve your health, posture is often overlooked. But just like exercise, eating right, and getting lots of sleep, good posture can make you more energetic on the field, in your exercise regimen, or in your day-to-day life. Although slouching is perhaps the most commonly cited form of poor posture, there are other, more specific types of bad posture that might be less noticeable.
People looking to improve their posture can achieve some level of relief from nagging lower back pain with simple exercises that strengthen the muscles design to support the spine. In fact, this is one of the most common reasons individuals and their physicians choose ActivAided. Through tactile cues and proprioception, ActivAided continuously reminds the body to activate these muscles on a regular basis.
Hunchback
The Signs:
If you tend to sit at your desk for hours at a time and experience pain in your neck, shoulders, and back, you might suffer from hunchback. Poor sitting posture, in particular, can tighten the chest muscles, which can lead to an overly exaggerated curve in the upper back and thoracic region. This eventually causes the upper back muscles to loosen, and eventually weaken.
What to Do:
Rounded Shoulder
The Signs:
The “rounded shoulder” posture often results from an exercise regimen that involves excessive chest pressing, or from excessive sitting while typing. People with this type of posture might feel their chest muscles tightening, which causes the shoulders to rotate forward while the upper back muscles loosen, and consequently, weaken.
What to Do:
Flat Back
The Signs:
“Flat back” (also known as “posterior pelvic tilt”) commonly occurs in individuals suffering from degenerated discs or herniated discs. This posture typically consists of a slight forward hunch, a reduced curve at the spine, and hyperextended knees. While your spine should be curved naturally when in a neutral position, those with flat back might see very little curve, if any at all.
What to Do:
Abdominal stretches; hamstring stretches; hip flexion exercises
Swayback (or, Hyperlordosis)
The Signs:
Often affecting an individual’s range of movement, swayback is characterized by an overly inward curve in the back. Of course, an inward curve in the back is normal and desirable–in the upper back, the natural curve is known as “kyphosis,” while the lower back’s natural curvature is called lordosis. However, when lying on one’s back, on a hard surface, someone with swayback will often have a large space between their lower back and the surface–typically a sign of abnormally exaggerated lordosis. If the curve does not “level out when the person bends forward, they may suffer from fixed lordosis, which may require medical treatment.
What to Do:
Hip flexor stretches; oblique floor crunches; hip extensions
For illustrations and correct posture tips, check out our Guide to Correct Posture.
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