Low back posture
What defines good low back posture depends on what we are doing – whether we are sitting, standing, walking, running, cycling etc. However in all cases we are trying to put our lumbar spine (low back) into the most neutral position that is possible and then maintain it there.
So what does a neutral lumbar spine look like? Essentially the neutral position is the mid position between the extremes of Flexion (forward bending) and Extension (backward bending) in a spine with normal flexibility.
When sitting we tend to end up slumping towards the extreme of flexion. When standing some of us slouch so that we are at the extreme of flexion. Others roll our pelvis forward so our lumbar spine is close to the extreme of extension. Therefore the solution to poor posture will be different for different people depending on their physical makeup and their longstanding habits.
Sitting Posture
Easily the most common postural flaws in our society come from prolonged sitting. For a species that evolved long before the first chair was made, sitting is now the single dominant posture in most peoples lives – and our spines struggle to handle the forces that are generated by hours, days and years of forced spinal flexion.
To restore good posture we need to look at furniture, duration of sitting, flexibility into spinal extension and creating a habit of better postural triggers.
Duration is the real killer – When sitting in a regular chair the muscles of our low back can only maintain good posture for maybe 20 minutes. So using a standing desk every 30 minutes or another strategy to get out of sustained sitting is imperative.
Flexibility into spinal extension can be maintained on a daily basis by including the yoga exercise called ‘The Cobra’ into our daily routine.
Furniture – Now that needs a whole blog just to scratch the surface …… coming next
