How Your Posture Could Be the Source of Your Back Pain

Improper Posture Habits and Your Spine Health

Many of our patients spend their days sitting at a desk or spending long hours on their feet, not thinking about their posture. When they stand, they’re left with back pain and soreness. Over time, this improper posture can damage their spine and cause permanent damage.

Keep reading to learn how to correct your posture and relieve your spine pain with our specialists' help at Unruh Spine Center.

Bad Posture and Your Back Pain

When we sit in a hunched position, our back, core, and abdominal muscles become strained, causing them to lose blood flow and go numb. Though the pain may resolve once you change your position, you’re slowly damaging your spine.

Over time, the intricate arrangement of muscles, discs, and joints (lumbar facets) in your back also risks being pushed beyond their tolerable limit, causing chronic pain and even possible herniations.

Common Postural Habits

Our everyday routines typically involve a combination of walking, sitting, lifting, and laying down. These actions may seem minor, but the habits we develop through the day can cause you pain. Everyday improper postural habits include:

Slouching in your chair.
Working from a laptop in bed.
Lifting heavy objects by bending your back.
Walking in a hunched over position.
Laying on your stomach in bed, arching your spine.

Living a Sedentary Lifestyle

In addition to these actions, living a sedentary or relatively inactive lifestyle can cause your back a great deal of pain — specifically your lower back.

Tips for Supporting Your Spine Health

Sit With Support

If you spend most of your time sitting in an office chair, sit with your back flush against the back of the chair. Your shoulder blades should be back, your shoulders should be down, and place your feet hips distance apart on the floor.

Stand Often

Sitting for too long can cause your body to tighten and stiffen — so it's essential to get up often throughout the day.

You can even set yourself a reminder every hour to get up and move — whether that's taking a walk or stretching. If you go for a walk, keep your spine straight and relax your head, with your head forward.

Lift Carefully

Lifting something heavy from the floor can cause the most immediate and severe pain. When you lift an object, lift with a straight back and focus on lifting from your knees to avoid straining your spine.

Seek Treatment for Your Back Pain

The worst thing for your back is to let existing pain go untreated. Though your holistic measures at home to reduce the pain your feeling, it may not be enough to resolve your issue permanently. If the issue persists, it’s best to seek treatment for your back pain before it gets worse.

Back Pain Relief in Santa Clarita

At Unruh Spine Center, we provide comprehensive healing methods that aim to not only treat your injury and ailments but promote long-term, whole-body health.

At your consultation, we’ll discuss your back and form a plan that may include a mix of our holistic and traditional treatment options, such as:

Contact our team today to book your first consultation. Unruh Spine Center