1. Standing
While standing,
keep your body straight with ears, shoulders and hips vertically aligned.
Your shoulders should not be rounded inwards or tilted forwards. Your
hips should not be flexed or hyper-extended. Tuck your abdomen in. Make
sure your chin is not held too high and your head is not dropping. Use
your abdominal muscles to keep your chest lifted and your back supported.
2. Sitting
Sit with
the back and thighs at a 90-degrees angle. Keep your back straight,
your hips in a neutral position and feet flat on floor, or you can rest
your feet on a chair or bench for stability. Keep your hips close to
the back of the chair. Maintain the curve in your lumbar spine. You
can use a lumbar support or a rolled up towel taped to the chair at
the level of the low back. If possible, change position frequently,
and avoid prolonged sitting. Use chairs that support the lower back
with proper seat height and seat depth. Sitting in a slouched posture
will hurt your back. In order to prevent frequent twisting of the back,
a rotary chair can be used. Avoid prolonged cross-legged sitting. If
you have to drive on a long trip, stop occasionally and get out of the
car to stretch.
3. Lying
Sleep on
a firm mattress to support your back. It should be about 2 inches thick,
on a wooden board. If required, you can put a pillow or a rolled up
towel under your knees when sleeping on your back. When sleeping on
your side your knee should be bent, perhaps with a pillow between them.
Use only one pillow for your head. Avoid sleeping on your stomach.
4. Daily
activities
Bending
the body forwards puts a lot of stress on the spine. In daily activities,
it is important to protect your spine by always keeping it straight.
Instead of bending the back, bend your knees. This applies when you
are carrying a heavy load or even when merely tying your shoelaces or
picking up small objects. After bending movements, stretch to maintain
the natural curve of the spine.
5. Lifting
and Transfer
Use the
proper and safe method for lifting and maneuvering objects. For instance,
if you have to lift a box from the floor and place it atop a table to
your right, you should squat to lift the box, then stand up straight,
and turn with your feet to place it on the table. Remember to hold objects
close to the body as it puts less strain on the spine, and never twist
your body when your back is bent.
While getting
out of bed, turn to the side first. Put both feet on the floor, then
get up by pushing both hands on the bed.
The reverse
process should be used when lying down in bed.
6. Exercise
Appropriate
exercise helps to maintain back health and general fitness. Through
exercise, the strength and flexibility of the back can be maintained
or improved. However, if the exercise is performed incorrectly, you
may hurt your spine. Always remember to do warm-up exercise, and seek
advice when in doubt.
The structure
of the spine is very complicated and back pain can be difficult to cure.
Therefore proper posture is very important in keeping the health of
your spine. If you are suffering from back pain, you should seek advice
from a doctor or physiotherapist for proper treatment and appropriate
exercise to relieve the pain.
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