Our posture and sh pain
Stand in front of a mirror, close your eyes and relax into the position that feels comfortable.
Now open your eyes and study your hands in the reflection. Can you see the back of them? If you can see more than your thumb and index finger, your shoulders are curling forwards.
Your shoulders should be in line with the opening of your ear canal. If it’s not, you’ll likely suffer upper back, neck and jaw pain, with the tension leading to headaches.
Picture your body in profile. Your ear, the knobbly bit of your shoulder, the side of your hip, knee and ankle bones should be in one straight line, stacked on top of each other.
Hunch. People who suffer chronic stress often do this as the tension in their bodies spreads upwards into their head and jaw.
Open your mouth and, using your closed fist as a measure, see how many knuckles you can fit between your bottom and lower teeth. Anything less than three means you may have tension in your jaw.
TRY: Pinch an imaginary pencil between your shoulder blades and hold it for 10 seconds. You’re activating your shoulders, moving them back, down and stretching out the muscles in the front of your chest too. Repeat throughout the day, especially after working on a laptop.
WATCH OUT: See your dentist for regular check-ups.
The human head weighs about 10lb (roughly 5kg) and should sit comfortably and neutrally on top of your neck.
But many people slip into turtle posture – where the jaw and eyes jut upwards, or chicken posture where the head and neck stretch forwards. Both are terrible.
Every inch your neck goes out of alignment, the force on the muscles and ligaments at the back of the neck double, making your 10lb head push 20lb of force through your neck and upper spine.
Hold your phone or tablet to eye level, or use a device holder. You may feel silly but your neck will thank you. In public, it might not be practical so plug in your headphones and listen to music instead of scrolling or doing work on your phone.
Make yourself shorter. People do this if they feel self-conscious of their height and women with bigger bosoms do this to hide their chests. It’s a hard habit to break but at least when you’re home, make yourself tall. It’s better than nothing.
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