Improving Your Posture To Reduce Back Pain

There are a lot of people in the United States that are starting to have back problems. It seems like the number of Americans that are seeing a doctor about back problems has dramatically increased in recent years.

If you are starting to feel pain in your back you should take care of the problem as soon as possible. If you let the problem persist you may end up with a condition that is much worse than your original problem.

To avoid back pain you should make sure that you take care of your back on a regular basis. There are a lot of people that do not understand how important it is to strengthen, stretch and learn to properly use their back.

First, you want to make sure that you have good posture. Having good posture does not mean that when you are sitting down you make sure that your shoulders are back and your back is straight.

When you are working on your posture you want to concentrate on having your back in a comfortable and healthy position no matter what you are doing. When you are standing and even while you are sitting or doing household chores you should have good posture.

This can be especially hard when you are doing dishes or working on a counter that is shorter than you would like to have. When you take the time to concentrate on the way you are standing you will realize that there is room for improvement.

There are not a lot of people in our society that have had good posture emphasized as they were growing up. When you do not have the muscle memory for good posture it is easy to let yourself start to slip.

In the long run, establishing this muscle memory will be well worth the uncomfortable nature of the process. When you are trying to get yourself into this habit you will want to make sure that you have a professional tell you what good posture entails.

Even though you have your shoulders back you may not be sitting in a way that give you the most benefits. When you meet with your doctor you will want to ask him or her how you should be sitting.

After they show you try to stay in that position for the rest of your appointment. More than likely this will be difficult and it will be hard for you to have that kind of endurance.

You may even notice that you are sore after you have been trying to correct and chance muscle memory. Do not worry about being sore, it is a normal feeling that people will have after changing their posture.

If you are experiencing sharp pain or if you feel that you cannot sit correctly you should consult a doctor. There are a lot of people that need physical therapy to enable them to sit be able to sit in a way that is healthy and strengthening.

As you are trying to establish this new habit, you will want to start stretching daily. This will not only help you to have good posture but may alleviate a lot of the pain that you feel from the everyday pressures that your back endures.

When you are stretching your back you should make sure that you concentrate on your hamstrings. There are a lot of people that neglect to stretch their hamstrings and because of this they continue to feel pain in their lower back.

Sitting with your back straight against the wall and your legs straight out is a great way to start to stretch your lower back and hamstring area. Depending on how tight your muscles are you may have to start by just trying to sit straight against the wall.

There are a lot of people that are not able to fully extend their legs with their back straight when they first begin. If you find yourself in this category do not get discouraged, instead you should work at stretching and set some goals for yourself.

Taking the time to stretch may be inconvenient and at first you may not notice a big different. In the long run, you will be able to see how stretching took away a large portion of your pain.

When you are flexible you will also be able to avoid a lot of injuries that you would otherwise sustain if you were not flexible.

Tom Selwick has been involved with medicine for over 20 years. He specializes in spinal recovery medicine and recommends (http://www.utahspineanddisc.com) for your back needs.