Good posture is good for the body Good posture eliminates unnecessary static activity and does not injure muscles. If muscles are forced to work at rest, more energy is expended, which produces more lactic acid and leads to muscle fatigue. Good posture maximizes the load pushed to the center of the body and improves the effectiveness of sitting and standing. Poor posture can be caused by 1. shortened muscles; 2. poor muscle strength; 3. old untreated injuries; 4. influence by the posture of those around you (children imitating adults); 5. apprehension and stress; 6. pain. Walking in a poor posture, sitting or standing with the head substantially lowered and shoulders slumped. If the external force from the ground does not pass through the center of the spine, the force of damage to the intervertebral discs will increase by up to nine times. No force in the legs when lifting heavy objects. Occasional or frequent, habitual straightening of the legs and bending of the back while lifting heavy objects is the most typical way to make a disc herniate. If you try to twist your body while lifting heavy objects, the likelihood of a herniated disc increases by several percent. Persistence will pay off. Correct posture Standing posture When viewed from the side, the ears, shoulders, hips, knees and legs should be in the same line, thus forming a vertical line of the body. When the spine is in a normal physiological curve, the external forces absorbed by the spine will pass straight through each vertebra and intervertebral disc. The knees should be slightly bent, not hyperextended. Common mistakes 1. chin forward so that the ears are in front of the shoulders and the neck is in a vulture position; 2. forward around the shoulders, resulting in a hunched upper back; 3. hips forward, arching the back as far as possible (although for many this is the resting position); 4. hips back, the curve of the low back is flattened and the hips form a position I call “cab” Arms. The center of gravity is located on one leg, the back is bowed in front, resulting in excessive posterior body vertical line. Bad posture hunched back leads to excessive body vertical line in front. Wearing high heels tends to make the vertical line of the body excessively rearward. How to stand correctly 1, feet should be the same width as the hips, the two toes at an angle; 2, the heels and feet of both feet should bear the same weight; 3, the knees should be slightly flexed. First straighten the knee joint and then slightly bend. The knee should only move forward about 2.5 cm; 4, need to slightly tighten the abdominal muscles to maintain a smooth; 5, the spine should maintain its normal physiological curvature; 6, the shoulders should sink; 7, the head should be flat and straight. The vertical line is a virtual line that connects the ears, shoulders, spine, knees and the outside of the ankles. The weight of the body must be distributed equally on the left and right sides of this line. Sitting Although we don’t recommend that you sit a lot, sometimes you have to. It is vital to keep your body active while sitting. Don’t slacken all the muscles or slouch, but keep the appropriate muscles active. In most cases, it is difficult to maintain proper sitting posture for long periods of time, so it is necessary to get up and move your body from time to time. The correct sitting posture requires not a good chair, but first to understand the correct standing posture. If you know how to stand is correct, when sitting will also know whether the spine is in the right position. Even when sitting, the curve of the spine still determines the amount of load on the rest of the body. Remember, sit and stand with your feet a certain width apart on the floor for better support. If you sit in a higher chair, it is more favorable to form a larger angle between the thighs and back. The angle should be at least 45 degrees. The back must be straight and maintain the curve when standing. The shoulders sink in line with the ears. Try not to use the backrest of the chair. Keeping your body active while sitting or standing is the best way to protect your back. Using a backrest will inevitably disrupt the normal curvature of your back, which further increases the pressure on your spinal discs. Worse, you are no longer using your muscles to keep your body upright, but are passively relying on fixed structures like ligaments and joint capsules to keep you upright. Without regular practice of proper standing posture, it can be beneficial to sit down occasionally. However, a good quality, expensive chair does not guarantee a healthy back. It depends entirely on the length of time you sit and stand, your sitting and standing posture, and the strength and flexibility of your muscles. Remember, there is a difference between sitting still and moving. When sitting or standing, the physiological curvature of the spine should be the same as when standing correctly. Consequences of poor posture If you sit for long periods of time or do not move while sitting or standing, you will not be able to maintain proper posture when standing. Even walking or running can be a problem because the important muscles that control these movements become tightened and shortened during sitting and standing. In stressful situations, there is a tendency for the shoulders to lift up, causing the muscles to work statically. Poor posture can lead to the following problems 1. Shortened, tight muscles continue to make posture more wrong; 2. Poor running or walking posture can lead to other injuries; 3. Trigger points in the muscles can lead to local discomfort or spread pain to the arms and legs; 4. Headaches can cause muscle tension and increase lactic acid levels in the muscles, which can worsen headaches. Hunching over while sitting or standing can lead to up to 10 times more pressure on the discs in the low back. Even the muscles of the neck have to work at rest to prevent the head from dropping forward. Crossing your legs while sitting or standing pushes your body in one direction. Other muscles have to rush to remedy the situation in order not to fall to the side.