10 WAYS TO CORRECT YOUR POSTURE
Pain is a reflection that your body is out of alignment and you need to take corrective measures. Follow these steps to bring it back in balance.
1 Roll your shoulders back allowing the shoulders to come forward, such as when typing or driving, puts immense strain on the muscles of the back and neck. to correct this, try a shoulder roll. bring one shoulder a little forward, a little up, and then back before relaxing it downwards. let go of any effort to hold it there. then do the other side.
2 Keep the back of your neck long and your chin angled down
When you follow the poor posture guideline to “keep your chin up”, this shortens the back of the neck and can pinch nerve roots causing dysfunction in your arms. to correct this, grasp the hair at the base of your skull and pull backwards and upwards. let your chin angle down towards your chest as you lengthen the back of your neck.
3 Turn your head on its vertical axis
it’s common to compress the neck on the side that the head turns to. this can result in damage to the delicate nerves, discs, and other structures in the neck. Draw an imaginary line between your eyes and keep that line horizontal as you pivot your head on its axis. this will give you a smooth action with no sandy or gritty noises, and no damage to any neck structures.
4 Get your behind out behind you
tucking the pelvis puts your imaginary tail between your legs and causes your lower back and upper body to be out of balance. Whether you are sitting or standing, arrange your imaginary tail to be out behind you. Do not tense the lower back to do this, but release any unnatural tension in your belly and work on toning your buttock muscles to achieve a naturally tipped position for your pelvis.
5 Take the sway out of your lower back by tucking the rib cage
it’s a common mistake to make up for hunching in the upper body by arching the lower back. to best address a swayback, gently nudge the lower front border of your rib cage downward and inward. this will elongate your lower back in a healthy way.
6 Sleep with a long back avoid curling into a ball or lying down with an arched back. as you descend into your bed for the night, use your arms to gently introduce some additional length into your spine. Keep your attention on your back and avoid the common mistake of arching the back in an effort to lengthen the spine.
7 Strengthen your foot muscles try interacting with the ground in ways that involve the foot muscles. Gripping real or imaginary contours on the earth is a great way to begin strengthening your foot and toe muscles.
8 Bend from the hips, not the back
it’s common for people to round the back while bending. to hip-hinge, keep your back straight throughout the bend. Having your legs wide can help, as can imagining your tail going up in the air as you go down. bend your knees as needed if your hamstrings are tight.
9 Use your gluteal muscles when walking Walking should be a series of forward propulsions, not a series of falls blocked by sticking out a foot. imagine that you are pushing the ground back behind you with each step.
10 Land gently with every step
a soft landing reduces wear and tear on all your weight-bearing joints, while encouraging you to use proper muscles when walking.