Doctor stresses importance of posture

By Tiffany Summerville
Source: U-WIRE

(U-WIRE) TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Normal, everyday activities, such as studying, working productively at a computer, casually watching TV or even walking to class, might be bad for your health. That's because you may be doing all these tasks with incorrect posture and setting yourself up for future negative health effects.

Dr. Wayne Rhodes, a chiropractor who has practiced in Tuscaloosa, Ala., for 18 years, said a large portion of the problems he encounters in his patients are posture-related and that bad posture is an aggregative factor in his patients' conditions 100 percent of the time, even if they are young adults.

"Posture is a huge factor that a lot of young people don't pay enough attention to," he said.

Yet, all it takes is making some small changes to your daily activities now to greatly reduce your risk of future negative health effects as a result of bad posture. Here are some tips on how to maintain proper posture as you go through your day.

Sitting

When sitting, make sure your lower back is supported properly so you don't slump. When you slump, the rounding of your spine places undue pressure on your lower back. Most chairs are not made to support the lower back, so you may want to invest in one specially equipped to offer that crucial lower back support.

If you're sitting at a desk working at a computer, it's a good idea to use a document holder so you can consistently hold your head at chin level without having to glance back and forth from the desk to the monitor, which places unnecessary stress on your neck.

It's also important to make sure your keyboard is low enough so your arms can hang at lap level. When the keyboard is too high, you are forced to hold your shoulders higher than you would in a normal, relaxed position, which also places stress on your neck.

Sleeping

Though you might have done it when you were a baby, sleeping on your stomach as an adult can cause serious damage to the neck and is a habit that must be changed immediately to avoid future neck and back problems, Rhodes said.

When you sleep on your stomach, the neck is strained because the head is rotated to one side for hours on end. The best sleep position is on the back or side with a pillow placed between your legs to keep the pelvis aligned.

Walking with a backpack

Students who carry heavy backpacks when walking to class on a daily basis need to be careful to distribute weight evenly over their body by wearing the backpack over both shoulders.

That's why a properly worn backpack is more conducive to good posture than a tote or shoulder bag carried on the hips or on one side of the body, which places undue stress on that one side.

As a general rule, the weight of backpacks should be no more than 10 percent of your body weight, Rhodes said, though it's very easy to let your backpack become substantially heavier. He also recommends taking precaution picking up a heavy backpack from the floor, an act that could cause serious back harm if done carelessly.

Driving

Driving can wreak havoc on posture and health if you're not seated properly in the driver's seat, Rhodes said.

As with any sitting position, it is important to have the lower back supported. Rhodes also suggests sitting fairly close to the steering wheel so you don't have to lean forward.

It's beneficial to use the entire back of the seat for support to be able to lean back and still control the wheel without straining muscles at the shoulder junction. It's also always a good idea to get out of the car and move around after every couple of hours of driving.

Lounging

Even a physically passive activity such as lounging on the couch or floor in front of the TV can compromise the curve of the neck if you're straining to hold the neck at an improper angle to view the television screen.

This popular lounging position has caused serious health problems in the last 40 years with the increase in TV watching among Americans, Rhodes said.

"Unless you have a TV on your ceiling, you do not need to lie on your back and watch TV," he said.


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