Improve posture: the wall test and three exercises



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On Wednesday, October 31, 2018 at 8:30 am



"Get up straight."

The expression with which almost all parents force their children and teens is not a minor indication: good posture promotes health.

"Proper alignment of the body helps to avoid stressing the joints, muscles, and spine, relieving pain and reducing the risk of injury." As a bonus, correct posture can improve productivity and mood and allows us to use the muscles more effectively, "said Jane Hein, a physiotherapist at Mayo Clinic in the United States.

The specialist admits that posture improvement is likely to require conscious "time and effort", but ensures that the results are worth it.

The test of the wall

How to reach the correct posture in five steps:

Standing against the wall, let it touch from the back of the head, shoulder blades and buttocks. The heels should be kept at a distance of 5 to 10 centimeters from the wall.

I put my hand flat and place behind the tailbone. Simply slip your hand between the lower back and the wall to obtain a correct curvature of the lumbar spine.

If there is a lot of space behind the back, I place the belly button in the backbone to flatten the curve of the back and gently bring it to the wall.

If there is very little space behind the lower back, arch your back just enough to slide your hand.

Stay away from the wall while maintaining a correct posture. Then go back to the wall to see if you have kept it.
When bad posture hurts

"Unfortunately, the ideal posture is usually the exception rather than the rule," says Hein in an article from the Mayo Clinic. Poor posture can affect the head to the feet and cause a series of problems. "

The different areas of the body in which the effects of misalignment manifest themselves:

Headache: Poor posture can stress the muscles in the back of the head, neck, upper back and jaw. This can exert pressure on the nearby nerves and cause what is called a tension headache or a muscle spasm headache.

Back and neck pain: Pain and tension or stiffness in the back and neck may be due to injuries or other conditions such as arthritis, herniated disc and osteoporosis, but poor posture also contributes often. Back and neck pain can become chronic and affect the quality of life.

Knee, hips and feet pain:
Muscle weakness, stiffness, lack of balance, lack of flexibility, and misalignment of the hips, knees, and feet may prevent the patella from sliding smoothly over the femur. The resulting friction can cause irritation and pain in the front of the knee, a condition called patellofemoral pain. The misalignment of the foot and ankle can also trigger plantar fasciitis, a condition in which the thick band of tissue that connects the heel to the metatarsal region (plantar fascia) ignites and causes pain in the heel.

Pain and pinching of the shoulders: The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that connects the upper arm to the shoulder. Muscle tension, weakness, or imbalance resulting from poor posture can irritate the rotator cuff tendons and cause pain and weakness. A curved posture and leaning forward can also cause the collision of these tendons. Ultimately, this can lead to tearing of the rotator cuff tissue, a more serious injury that can cause severe pain and weakness and limit the ability to perform daily activities.

Pain in the jaw: A posture with the head tilted forward can stress the muscles under the chin and overload the temporomandibular joint. This could lead to pain, fatigue and a jaw kick, as well as difficulty opening your mouth, headaches and neck pain.

Fatigue and respiratory problems: poor postural habits can restrict the rib cage and compress the diaphragm, which can reduce lung capacity and cause shallow or difficult breathing, fatigue and lack of energy, conditions that can affect overall productivity.
Three exercises

"Improving posture can help prevent or reverse many of these conditions, and you'll be surprised how you can improve your quality of life by just standing up a bit more." maintains the specialist and invites put into practice a series of tips combining movement and breathing to improve posture while sitting or lying on the bed.

When you walk, I have maintained the right posture: inhale, lift your shoulders and bring them back; then exhale and lower your shoulders, as if you would gently join the shoulder blades.

Try to tilt your pelvis when sitting:
Sit on the edge of a chair, place your hands on the inside of your thighs and rest your feet on the floor. Inhale and swing your pelvis and ribs forward while opening your chest and looking up. Exhale, swing the pelvis and spine back and look at the floor.

I laid the bridge in the bed when waking up: Lie on your back on the bed with your knees bent and your feet resting on the mattress. Inhala, then exhale slowly and bend the tailbone to raise the buttocks and spine, one vertebra at a time, until the shoulder blades support the weight of the body. Take a break and inhale, then exhale slowly while lowering the spine again.

Source: https://www.clarin.com/buena-vida/mejorar-postura-prueba-pared-ejercicios_0_aOw2znVlM.html







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