How to Stand Up Straight - For People Whose Back Pain Is Caused by Poor Posture

How to Improve Posture and Stand Up Straight

The answer's obvious, isn't it? You put your feet on the floor and just, well, stand? If that was true, there would be very little point in my writing an article about it, so needless to say, there is more to it than that.

Before discussing how to stand up straight, let us first consider why it's important that we should, for if we understand the why, the how to is much easier. Standing straight, and so improving your posture, will put your body back into natural alignment, which in turn places less stress on your joints. It will also help to protect your spine, and opens up your chest cavity so that breathing is much easier.

Poor posture, on the other hand, means your body is out of alignment, and creates uneven pressure on your joints. This can lead to chronic conditions which may manifest themselves, for instance, as an inability to sit or stand for long periods of time.

So How Do You Do It?

The first and most important thing is to ensure that you have a good foundation. By this, I mean that your feet are placed firmly on the floor with your toes pointing forward. Next, tighten your stomach muscles, and rock your pelvis gently back and forth. This will help you to find your neutral position, that is your most ergonomic and balanced position. Then, to check your posture:

Stand next to a wall with your head about an inch from it, your shoulder blades and buttocks touching it lightly, and your heels slightly away from it.Spread your weight evenly over both feet. Your spine has a natural s shape, so do not force it flat back against the wall
Centre your ears over your shoulders and your hips over your knees. These points should form a straight line down the side of your body
Keep your knees straight but not locked
When standing correctly, there should be just enough space between your lower back and the wall to fit your wrist

Having found your perfect posture, the key is to retain it. Initially, this may be quite tricky as you will have to keep reminding yourself which muscles to contract or relax. There are many exercises, known as core stability exercises that you can do to strengthen the muscles in your abdomen which are responsible for enhancing posture. Targeting these muscles will help good posture become more natural.

Additionally, consider reviewing your diet and weight. Being over weight may subconsciously make you alter the way you stand, placing too much strain on your lower back, and leading to chronic conditions in the future. Good posture needs to be learnt, and practiced every day. So why not make a start now and stand up for a bighter future!

Visit http://www.victoriasback.com for more advice on posture and core stability exercises.

By Victoria de Brun

Causes of Lower Back Pain - For People Who Want to Learn More, But Don't Know Where to Start

CAUSES OF BACK PAIN

Considering the fact that the majority or between 70 and 90 percent of the population will experience some sort of back pain at one time or another, knowledge about back pain relief is certainly welcome, appreciated and a popular topic. One of the best ways to begin learning about back pain relief is by understanding the basics of back pain: what causes it, how it's diagnosed, what treatments are available, how to manage the pain, etc.

Most references to back pain focus on lower back pain in the lumbar spinal region. However, back pain causes in no particular order are:

A. Accidents or injuries leaving muscle pain

B. Osteoarthritis with deteriorating cartilage

C. Osteoporosis with bone loss / fracture

D. Fibromyalgia

E. Major conditions like cancer

Muscle, ligament and tendon problems are generally at the root of the pain problems along with some weakness in the lower back. Other body parts in the region can also be associated like bones and small joints.

When no specific cause is apparent, the term NSLBP (nonspecific low back pain) is used. Any number of reasons for this pain can include degenerative disk disease, psychological issues, systemic disease, facet syndrome (similar to pinched nerves symptoms), herniated disk, spondylolisthesis or the forward displacement of one of the lower lumbar vertebrae over the vertebra below it or on the sacrum. Other factors could be spinal stenosis or constriction or spondyloarthropathy (disease affecting spinal joints).

Let's take a look at each of these and what pain relief solutions are available.

DEGENERATIVE DISK DISEASE - The degeneration of vertebral disks is a natural part of the aging process. What often happens though, is that when the narrowing of the disk space combines with the nociceptors, sensory receptors that respond to pain, in the outer annulus (in the disk space outside the nucleus) or dorsal root ganglion (spinal nerves) that become heightened, the result can be pain, although not always. Sometimes pain can be felt by some people, and other times not. For example a minor accident like missing a step and landing a little harder than usual on your feet might cause back pain. And certain activities can aggravate degenerative disks, like yard work or house cleaning movements. But overall, pain associated with degenerative disk disease generally heals within a few days at most. Preventative measures like strengthening muscle groups to lessen future traumas are usually recommended along with an analgesic or medication that helps relieve pain. Only in some cases are epidurals or injections, blocks or surgery needed.

PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES - If acute back pain turns into chronic stages, factors of depression, fear and anxiety could increase discomfort and pain. And the longer the chronic pain persists, the more these factors tend to play a role, an increased role over time. So treatment strategies may need to include learning coping skills and alternative lifestyle enhancements to deal with the psychological factors present.

SYSTEMIC DISEASE - This disease is the cause for up to 10% of back pain and largely among the elderly. Causes could be cancer-related or related to reduced bone mass or simply the aging process. Increasing or decreasing activities as well as switching positions all may have no affect on pain relief. Alternative therapies may be in need.

FACET SYNDROME - Similar to pinched nerves symptoms, this is believed to be associated with pain in the back's side joints and the main cause of up to 20 percent of back pain cases, with buttocks and upper leg pain increasing with long-term standing, and when switching sitting / standing / lying positions. An injection of local anesthetic into the facet joint helps determine the diagnosis. However, since the anesthetic relieves the pain at the same time and is used as a short-term solution, an x-ray doesn't help with imaging the pain results. Recommended treatment includes rigorous lumbar activities and body mechanics exercises to learn proper or more beneficial posture and movement techniques.

HERNIATED DISK - Also known as a ruptured or protruding disk, a herniated disk extends beyond its own area into a surrounding region. Compression of the nerve root can cause pain. And pressure on the fibers in surrounding ligaments can cause pain. Although an accident involving lifting could be the cause of a herniated disk, it's not necessarily so. For many, the cause is unknown; pain can occur suddenly or gradually over time. Relief for the pain can come from walking instead of sitting or standing, and surgery is rarely required right away, if at all in the event relief from pain happens within a limited amount of time. During this time (up to several weeks) any of the following might be effective to use, depending upon your healthcare provider: medication, physical therapy or non-frequently, steroid spinal injections.

SPONDYLOLISTHESIS or the forward displacement or slippage of one of the lower lumbar vertebrae (generally the fourth or fifth) over the vertebra below it or on the sacrum. This state of health is diagnosed by x-ray. Pain is believed to occur where the displacement is, at or below the displacement, or from spinal stenosis, discussed next. Depending upon the patient, strengthening exercises or a back support may be all that's required. In others, surgery may be an option.

SPINAL STENOSIS - is the constriction or narrowing of the vertebral canal. Mainly due to aging, as the gradual lessening of disk space and changes in ligaments advance upon the nerve roots below the lumbar vertebra or L2, pain can result. It's often accompanied by numbness in the legs and is not aided any by walking. Different vertebra and varied physical activities can affect the pain's location, intensity, recurring and duration. To help diagnose this condition, healthcare providers can use myelography, or an x-ray of the spinal cord after injection of air or a radiopaque substance into the subarachnoid space, with a post-CAT scan. And depending upon the patient, treatments can vary and be minor with medication if the pain gradually disappears, to epidural corticosteroid injections in the epidural, to blocks or surgery.

SPONDYLOARTHROPATHY - This term refers to a variety of diseases affecting spinal joints; arthritis variations- psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis, the more common of the two and in males more often than women; and sacroiliitis, accompanies inflammatory bowels. Diagnosis consists of a physical exam, history and testing including x-rays, CAT or MRI, as the disease progresses slowly long-term fusing sacroiliac joints together and joints between vertebrae together. To relieve pain, there is treatment with exercises and physical therapy to promote better enhanced posture and mobility and some arthritic medications.

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