On the previous blog post titled “Fix Your Posture = Back Pain Relief“, it discussed how correct posture served as a good foundation for back support, which in turn, provided back pain relief or prevented you from getting back pain. So, bottom line, maintaining a correct posture not only looks good, but it’s good news for your back, too. That said, you should try to keep your head, neck and upper body aligned when you sit, stand or walk. Doing so will help keep your spine from becoming misaligned, and thus, prevent back pain. But, that’s easier said than done, right?
It does appear that advances in technology is partly to blame for poor posture. Take for instance the office worker in front of the desktop computer, or the use of the common household appliance, the vacuum cleaner. In both cases, slouching can be a common occurrence, resulting in poor posture. And the bad news is, poor posture repeated long-term can injure your back muscles, which could ultimately result in back pain.
But all is not doom and gloom. There could be a fix for poor posture! Take a read of this article from the site NPR.com (National Public Radio) …
Lost Posture: Why Some Indigenous Cultures May Not Have Back Pain
Back pain is a tricky beast. Most Americans will at some point have a problem with their backs. And for an unlucky third, treatments won’t work, and the problem will become chronic.
Believe it or not, there are a few cultures in the world where back pain hardly exists. One indigenous tribe in central India reported essentially none. And the discs in their backs showed little signs of degeneration as people aged.
An acupuncturist in Palo Alto, Calif., thinks she has figured out why. She has traveled around the world studying cultures with low rates of back pain — how they stand, sit and walk. Now she’s sharing their secrets with back pain sufferers across the U.S.”
Poor posture appears to result in that S-shaped spine, which causes or further aggravates back pain. And according to the article, it’s the J-shaped spine that could be the answer to finally help rid ourselves of back pain. But will a simple rolled-up towel behind the small of the back while sitting, or the use of your leg strength while vacuuming (with good posture, of course) help us attain that J-shaped spine?
And at the end of the day, it may simply boil down to being at a proper weight level and having a strong core (i.e., good ab muscles) in order to attain back pain relief.
