Health Tip: Change Poor Posture

Health Tip: Change Poor Posture

(HealthDay News) — Everyone has back pain at some point, whether due to poor posture, heavy lifting, a spinal condition present a birth, or an exercise-related injury.

While other triggers for back pain may not be as easy to prevent, poor posture is a relatively easy fix.

Harvard Medical School suggests how:

• By imagining good posture, you can help create it. Imagine a straight line passing through your body from ceiling to floor (the ears, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles line up vertically).
• Sit up straight with hands resting on your thighs. Keep your shoulders down and your chin level. Slowly draw your shoulders back and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Hold for a count of five; relax. Repeat three or four times.
• Stand facing a corner with your arms raised, hands flat against the walls, elbows at shoulder height. Place one foot ahead of the other. Bending your forward knee, exhale as you lean your body toward the corner. Keep your back straight and your chest and head up. Hold this position for about 30 seconds. Relax.
• Raise your right arm to shoulder level in front of you and bend the arm at the elbow, keeping the forearm parallel to the floor. Grasp the right elbow with your left hand and gently pull it across your chest so you feel a stretch in the upper arm and shoulder on the right side. Hold for 20 seconds; relax both arms. Repeat three times on each side.