How To Improve Posture To Alleviate Back Pain and Neck Pain

Today, we’re all looking to improve posture to alleviate back pain, but we all remember seeing those old videos of tutors and teachers reminding children to sit up straight and have good posture. We scoffed at them, especially since we also did not have acceptable posture, but what if we told you that posture was really that important?

Posture contributes to the proper weight distribution across the muscles & joints of your body. Poor posture can put undue stress on certain structures in your body, causing acute or chronic pain. That’s why improving posture to alleviate back pain is so important.

It’s easy to point out the flaws in others’ postures, but we all have lousy postures sometimes! Let’s look at how posture affects your body and the different back pain treatments that can help improve your posture.

Poor posture puts your body into awkward positions that stress your bones, tendons, muscles, organs, and ligaments. These structures require proper support to function correctly; without that support, they struggle to ambulate and operate. This inability to work appropriately builds up stress and tension.

Bad posture also causes these muscles to remain tensed and out of alignment for too long, causing poor blood flow or cramps. A lack of blood flow, excess undue stress, and added cramps result in neck or back pain.

Continually sitting and walking in awkward positions can worsen neck and back pain. Eventually, it will spiral out of control and feel almost unbearable. Additionally, any preexisting neck and back problems may just get worse.

Here are some simple exercises you can do to help improve posture to alleviate back pain.

Chin Tuck for Neck Pain

One of the best exercises for treating neck pain is to remove the built-up stress in the neck. One exercise that removes neck stress is called a “chin tuck.”

To start the chin tuck, sit up perfectly straight, push your chest forward, and bring your chin back. Keep doing this a few times, between ten or twenty seconds, while consistently checking your neck’s range of motion. This exercise will help reduce any pain.

Desk Posture Exercise

This stretch helps with back pain. While sitting at a chair, as you would at a desk, sit up as straight and tall as possible. Clasp your hands together behind your head with your elbows out front, like you’re resting on a hammock.

Then, push your chest forward and your head back simultaneously. If there’s pain anywhere in the stretch, stretch until you hit the pain, then stop, and try again repeatedly until the pain reduces.

How to Reduce Neck Pain and Tension

The slouched, compressed position we often take while staring at a screen all day often causes tension in our shoulders and lower back. To keep yourself from experiencing that pain, perform the following exercise.

First, start by sitting up straight and tall, then perform the chin tuck mentioned above. Once you have your chin as far down as you are comfortable, immediately bring your head back very slowly.

Sitting and standing correctly can do wonders to improve posture to alleviate back pain. When standing, keep your shoulders back, hold in your stomach, and walk with a level head. If you have difficulty envisioning that, remind yourself to walk confidently, which will help you picture the right posture.

For sitting, remember that your knees and elbows should always be at 90-degree angles, with your feet shoulder-width apart and squarely on the ground. Make sure you keep your back supported at all times. Always take frequent breaks to walk around, and reward yourself by getting something to drink or snack on.

Using the above exercises and changing your daily routine to ensure proper posture will reduce the amount of back pain you feel daily. Even small exercises help take steps to improving posture and alleviating back pain.

At REACH Rehab + Chiropractic, we can help you improve posture to alleviate back pain. If you’re ready for a chiropractor in Plymouth, MI, to reduce your back pain, contact us at (734) 530-9134 or book an appointment here.