Postural back pain

Postural Back Pain

The most important concept to understand about postural back pain is that a sustained position for a lengthy period of time is not ideal, even if you are maintaining the best posture. The body is designed to move and relies on movement for correct function. Moving the body results in:

• Muscle contractions: Returning blood to the heart and organs for filtration, cleansing the muscles of chemical substrate build up and aids in recovery.
• Joint positional change: Alters the distribution of load, which in turn will reduce the force at a particular part of the joint, therefore reducing chance of injury.
• Psychological factors: Stimulating the brain and improving productivity.

Should you find that a sustained position needs to be maintained, optimal biomechanics that shares force equally through most joints need to be adopted.

Below are two different postures that can be applied:

Sitting posture

Place both feet firmly on ground, shoulder width apart with equal weight distribution. Ensure your bottom  is firmly against back rest and you have a neutral spine (lower back slightly off back rest, back of shoulders against back rest). Tuck your chin in (giving the impression of a double chin) ensuring your ear lobes are in line with your shoulders which should be relaxed and slightly squeezed back, elbows should be by your side and the keyboard is slightly below elbow level with the top of  the computer at eye level and keeping your chair in close to the desk.

Standing posture

Placing equal weight through both feet, with your knees slightly bent, ensure that you squeeze your shoulders back slightly, pushing your chest out and tucking your chin in (giving the impression of a double chin). For a person of slender builds, you should tuck your tail bone under slightly, and for those that find themselves to be overweight it is recommended that you stick your bottom out slightly due to the different weight distribution around the centre of mass of your body.

Injury will occur when excessive force exits the body at a certain point. The above postures limit excessive force exiting the body at a certain point. By moving the body consistently you will be changing the amount of force at a particular joint at any given time. However repetitive movements can be detrimental as they can lead to the same joints and muscle been loaded in the same way. This can lead to an overuse injury as not enough recovery is given to working muscles.

Prevention is better than cure

In order to prevent postural pain, the following tips outlined above will assist in preventing injury before it actually happens. If you find static postures or repetitive movements needs to be maintained in any work situation come and see us for a consultation at Bondi Platinum Physio or discuss your issues with a medically trained professional to ergonomically assess your work place.

Remember, equal weight and load distribution with adequate recovery will help prevent most injuries.

Have a lovely day at work!!