STRUGGLING WITH LOWER BACK PAIN?
You're not the only one, lower back pain is one of the most common issues for modern mankind. About 80 percent of adults will experience lower back pain at some point. The second most common reason for visits to the doctor’s office.
WHAT CAUSES THIS SHARP LOWER BACK PAIN EXACTLY?
Due to sitting, standing, walking and handling too much in a bad way or "posture". Poor posture while lifting and sitting is the most damaging activity for our back. The #1 cause of lower back pain is a torn or pulled muscle and/or ligament.
Strains occur when a muscle is stretched way too far and tears, damaging the muscle itself.
Sprains happen when over-stretching and tearing affect the ligaments. These are both ends of every muscle that connect the bones and the muscles. A low back sprain or strain can develop slowly over time, from repetitive movements. But it can also happen in an instant, by lifting something heavy in a bad way.
Many different muscles, bones, and connective tissues meet in the back. This is the reason many people experience a wide variety of symptoms in the lower back.
The Lumbar spine has to bear all the weight (a yellow region in the pic. below) from the Cervical spine and the Thoracic spine with the complete upper body attached to it. So it's not a surprise why so many people suffer from lower back pain. You can see it as a skyscraper in a certain way. For such a huge task, our spine is surprisingly narrow. That' s why everyone should care about there spine a lot more than everybody thinks they should. It's almost epidemic how many people are affected by back problems.
MOST COMMON SYMPTONS OF LOWER BACK PAIN
Discomfort and even pain in the Lumbar spine region that gets worse after prolonged sitting or standing. Stinging or burning sensation from the lower back to the back of the thighs or the lower legs. Difficulty standing up straight, especially while sitting to stand up.
BAD POSTURE IS THE RECEPY FOR FEELING BAD
These are the most common problems coming from bad posture:
• It can damage your neck, back and/or shoulders
• You can get chronic headaches or migraines attacks
• It can lead to impacting your sex life in a negative way
• It has a big impact on how you feel emotionally
• Slouching makes you look older (and somewhat silly too)
Thereby it can cause an array of very serious problems!
To name a few: A misaligned spine, one of the 3 main curvature problems, poor circulation of the fluid systems, bad digestion, impaired lung functions, constricted nerves at specific places in our bodies...
And the list goes on and on...
NOW, WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS ALL?
THAT GOOD POSTURE IS KEY TO FEELING BETTER!
THE BEST BENEFITS OF GOOD POSTURE:
• It can eliminate neck and back pain completely
• It boosts your self-esteem massively
• It improves your memory and learning capabilities
• It makes you happier and in an overall better mood
• It boosts your energy levels, thus your productivity goes up
• It makes you taller and slimmer, and look more powerful in a way
• It improves your breathing and makes you feel freer in your body overall
• It makes you recover from your workouts faster
• It increases testosterone levels
• And the list goes on and on again...
A FEW TIPS FOR A BETTER POSTURE THAT ARE COMPLETELY FREE :-)
It's all about making the right choices from moment to moment, our habits. If you can incorporate 1 or more of these habits you will improve upon your posture :
Stand up tall. Pretend you’re standing against a wall to measure your height. Hold your head straight and tuck in your chin. Your ears should be over the middle of your shoulders. Stand with your shoulders back, knees straight, and belly tucked in. Don't let your booty or hips stick out. Straighten up so you feel like your head stretches toward the sky.
Stretch. Simple stretches can relieve muscle tension and help you realign your posture. Try the shoulder roll: Sit or stand comfortably. As you inhale, raise your shoulders to your ears. As you exhale, pull your shoulder blades down and together. Do this five or 10 times in a row, a few times a day.
Don't sit still for too long at a time. Sitting for long periods almost always leads to stiffness and slouching, Deon says, so she recommends getting up to move around every 20 to 30 minutes. If you need reminding, several smartphone apps will nudge you to take periodic breaks.
Keep your chin up, even when looking at your phone. Texting is the modern enemy of good posture, Deon says. "You never want to spend long periods with your head pushed forward — that's a really good way to develop a long-term neck problem." Tilting the head forward 30 degrees more than triples the amount of stress placed on your neck, which can result in muscle strain, pinched nerves or herniated disks. To avoid "text neck," practice looking down at your phone with your eyes alone, not bending your neck.
THE TWO MYTHS OF GOOD POSTURE
So having good posture comes with big benefits.
But what does good posture look like? When most people think of good posture, they’re usually thinking of it in terms of two myths we should get out of the way before we go any further:
Posture Myth nr. 1:
"Good posture should feel rigid and take a lot of work."
When most people hear “good posture,” they imagine a soldier standing at attention. But this is bad posture (and despite our perceptions, isn’t the way actual soldiers are taught to stand either). This imaginary soldier stance causes your muscles and tendons to work hard to maintain an unnatural position. If you’ve felt sore after a day of focusing on good posture, chances are it’s because you spent your time trying to pull yourself into this pose.
Good posture should feel relaxed and easy. When you have good posture, your bones, not your muscles, keep your body upright and balanced. Even though you’re sitting and standing straighter than you usually do, you shouldn’t feel tense or strained.
Now, if you’ve done a lot of sitting and slumping in your life, getting into a good posture position isn’t going to feel effortless at first. You shouldn’t feel strained, but you may feel tight. To ease this tightness, read and implement the tips in the last section of this article.
On to Posture Myth nr. 2:
"There’s one ideal posture everyone should be aiming for."
Contrary to popular belief, there’s no one exact standard for what constitutes good posture. Everyone’s body is different, so good posture for one man won’t necessarily look the same for another. With that said, there are a few cues we can all use to find our ideal posture, whether sitting or standing.
SO ARE YOU READY TO WORK ON YOUR POSTURE?
By now you should know how important good posture really is for a human being.
Improve your posture and live a healthier, happier and more fulfilled life!
Extra resources:
5 Really Great Reasons Why Good Posture Is Super Important
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/5-really-great-reasons-why-good-posture-is-super-important_n_581282f8e4b0390e69cf3d90?guccounter=1
The Ultimate Guide to Posture
https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/the-ultimate-guide-to-posture/