Back to the Grind: Posture Tips

Yes folks, summer vacation is over. The weather is cooling down, the leaves are starting to change colour, and we're once again chained to our computers to work, work, work. It's likely most of your have experienced back pain at some point or another in your life, since it's one of the most common reasons people come in for physio. If you've got back pain getting into see a physio ASAP is the first thing you should do, but what about preventing it to begin with? Check out these 4 tips to help keep your spine in line:

1. Don't sit still: if you're sitting at a desk all day there's increased pressure on your spine. Make sure to vary your position by getting up for a walk about every 30 minutes. It's a good excuse to fill your water bottle or grab a quick breath of fresh air, and the mini break might help you focus on your work as well. There are also lots of office stretches you can do, and any of our physios would be happy to show 'em to you.
2. Flexibility is key: Most people don't realize that a flexible spine is a healthy spine. How do you know where your flexibility is at? You can check it: sit up straight on a chair with your arms crossed over your stomach. It should be easy to turn both ways and see behind you. If both sides aren't even or your range or motion is limited (maybe you can only see to the side), you might want to give us a call. Our physiotherapists can assign the specific exercises to help get your mobility back to where it should be.
3. Core is the core: Weak core muscles can be the culprit when it comes to back pain or injuries. If you've hurt your back doing sports or raking leaves, it could be because your core muscles aren't pulling their weight. How do you strengthen them up? There are a variety of exercises, and they aren't about 8-minute abs. Once your injury has been treated, our physiotherapists can assign exercises that will actually help strengthen your "core" core muscles (and might help tighten your abs up as an added bonus).
4. Stop slouching!: alright, that seems obvious, but hear me out. We've all been told to stand up straight, but there are other postural habits that you should be working to avoid. Always leaning to one side, carrying your bag on one side, sitting cross legged, or slouching with your feet up are poor postures that might also indicate muscle weaknesses or stiffness in your body. Correcting them now is the first step to avoiding injury later.

Questions? Feel free to give any of the clinics a call. Now, get back to work!