You may witness and experience such a scene every day: bowing your head and playing with your mobile phone on the subway, hunching your back and probing your computer in front of the computer, taking a nap on the table, watching dramas on the sofa…
The spine is located in the center of the back of the human body and serves as the link between the previous and the next. Wrong sitting posture may flatten or bend the curve of the spine, which can lead to back pain, disc herniation…
What bad postures can deform the spine? “Life Times” (Search “LT0385” in WeChat to follow) to interview experts and teach you 6 exercises to improve the spine curve.
Interviewed experts
Jianyuan Jiang, Director of the Department of Orthopedics, Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University
Poor posture deforms the spine
The human spine is not straight, but has 4 physiological curvatures: cervical lordosis, thoracic kyphosis, lumbar lordosis, and sacral kyphosis. Physiological curvature equalizes spinal loads when the body is upright.
In addition to bony structures, muscles are also an important part of maintaining daily posture. The back muscles, abdominal muscles, and psoas major interact to support trunk stability.
In people with good posture, the bones are arranged on top of each other like building blocks, which naturally carry the weight of the body, and the muscles work the least; poor posture can cause the muscles to overwork.
Here are some common sitting positions:
Loose Sitting
The lumbar spine does not maintain the physiological curvature of lordosis (Figure 1), and the pressure on the intervertebral disc increases.
Excessive leaning forward
This is the sitting posture that most people use unconsciously when they work at a desk (as shown in Figure 2). The lumbar spine does not maintain the physiological curvature of lordosis, and the pressure on the intervertebral disc increases.
Sit too upright
It seems reasonable (as shown in Figure 3), but because the muscles of the whole body are too tense, it is difficult to maintain for a long time. Once the time is long, it will lead to muscle stiffness and soreness.
Light forward sitting position
This sitting position is more reasonable (as shown in Figure 4), which not only maintains the physiological curvature of the spine, but also avoids muscle stiffness in the lower back.
It can be seen from this that when the lumbar spine is in the normal physiological curvature, the pressure on the intervertebral disc keeps it from kyphosis.
If the lumbar spine is kyphosis, the spine tends to move backwards. Over time, when the intervertebral disc cannot bear the pressure, it will compress the nerve, resulting in lumbar disc herniation.
Sit with head forward, squeezing chest and lungs
The head weight of an adult is 4.5~5.4 kg. If the head is tilted forward, the spine will bear more weight, up to 27 kg, and the neck and shoulder muscles will also bear more weight. With a lot of pressure, the muscles of the neck and shoulders will be sore for a long time.
One study found that sitting with the head tilted forward compresses the ribcage and lungs, reducing respiratory function.
What is the correct sitting posture?
On a chair without a backrest, the buttocks are located in the front 1/3~2/3 of the seat, the body is slightly forward, the lower back is straight, and the abdomen is tightened.
When the seat has a backrest, the buttocks should fill the seat. Sedentary people can place a cushion of a suitable size at the position where the back is at the same height as the navel (you can use a towel roll), and then stretch the back against the seat back so that the lower back is not hanging.
But it should be pointed out that even if you maintain a good sitting posture, sitting for a long time will still cause back pain. It is recommended that you change your posture from time to time during long office hours. You can set it for yourself. A “relaxation alarm clock”.
6 exercises to improve spine curve
Because muscles are important structures that support the trunk and maintain posture stability, building muscle strength and proper muscle relaxation can help improve the spine curve.
Here are a few recommended exercises for your reference, the first 3 can strengthen the muscles and the last 3 can relax the muscles. Do it 5 times a week. When your body adapts, you can increase the number of times appropriately.
Action One
Five point support
Hands at sides, elbows, knees bent, feet flat on the ground; slowly lift hips off the ground until torso and thighs are in line, hold 5 seconds; Slowly lower the hips and lift the hips again before fully relaxing; Repeat 20 times for 1 set, each time doing 4 to 5 sets.
Action Two
Kneeling Leg Raise
Both knees and hands on the ground, keep the shoulders and hip joints at 90 degrees, close the abdomen, keep the torso parallel to the ground; slowly lift the left leg and stretch back, hold for 5 seconds and then slowly lower it , and then lift the right leg to stretch back, hold for 5 seconds and then slowly put it down, this is one time; each group of 20 times, repeat 4 to 5 groups.
Action Three
Kneeling and raising hands
Both knees and hands on the ground, abdomen, keep the torso parallel to the ground; slowly lift the left arm, hold for 5 seconds and then slowly lower it, then lift the right arm, hold for 5 seconds and then slowly lower it, This is one time; each group of 20, repeat 4 to 5 groups.
Action Four
Stand up
Lie on your stomach, put your hands under your shoulders, press the ground hard, and lift your upper body up; straighten your elbows, keep your chest out, and keep your legs on the ground; use your arms to support your body for 5~10 After a few seconds, lower your body and restore. Do 4-5 sets of 20 reps per set.
Action Five
Cat
Get on the ground with both hands and knees, kneel, relax the whole body, arch your back like a cat, hold for 15~30 seconds, rest for 10 seconds, 8~10 times as a group, repeat 4~ 5 sets.
Action Six
Standing Chest Pull
Put your feet shoulder-width apart and cross your fingers behind your back; pull your shoulders back and down, straighten your arms without arching your back; feel a stretch in your chest and shoulders. Hold this action for 15 seconds, rest for 5 seconds, 8 to 10 times as a group, repeat 4 to 5 groups.
Reminder that overweight people should maintain good posture. Because the body is too heavy, the pressure on the spine is greater. If you often use bad posture, it is easy to cause the spine to break.
It is recommended that overweight people choose the above exercises according to their own conditions while losing weight. ▲
Editor of this issue: Liu YunB Action demonstration: Xu Menglian
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