You may witness and experience such a scene every day: playing with your mobile phone on the subway, hunching your back and probing in front of the computer, taking a nap on the table, curling up on the sofa to chase the drama...
The spine is located in the center of the human back and plays a role in carrying up and down. Incorrect sitting posture may flatten or bend the curve of the spine, which can lead to back pain, herniated discs...
What poor posture can deform the spine? Life Times (search for "LT0385" within WeChat to follow) interviews experts and teaches you 6 movements to improve the spinal curve.
Experts interviewed
Jiang Jianyuan, 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 bends: cervical bulge, thoracic kyphosis, lumbar kyphosis, and sacral kyphosis. Physiological curvature equalizes spinal loads when the body is upright.
In addition to the bony structure, muscles are also an important part of maintaining daily posture, and the interaction of back muscles, abdominal muscles and psoas major muscles together support trunk stability.
People with good posture, bones arranged like building blocks on top of each other, naturally carry body weight, and have the least muscle workload; poor posture can cause muscle overwork.
Here are a few common sitting positions in life:
Sit loosely
The lumbar spine does not maintain the physiological curvature of the bulge (Figure 1), and the pressure on the intervertebral disc increases.
Sit too forward
This is the sitting posture that most people unconsciously use when working on their desks (figure 2), the lumbar spine does not maintain the physiological curvature of the bulge, and the pressure on the intervertebral disc increases.
Sit too straight
It looks reasonable (Figure 3), but because the muscles throughout the body are too tense, it is difficult to maintain for a long time, and once it is long, it will cause muscle stiffness and soreness.
Light forward-leaning sitting position
This sitting posture is more reasonable (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 that when the lumbar spine is in a normal physiological curvature, the pressure on the intervertebral discs makes it not convex.
If the lumbar spine is kyphosis, the spine has a tendency to move backwards, and over time, when the intervertebral disc cannot withstand the pressure, it will compress the nerves, resulting in lumbar disc herniation.
Sit with your head tilted forward, squeezing the chest and lungs
Adults head weight of 4.5 ~ 5.4 kg, if the head forward sitting posture, the spine will bear a greater weight, up to 27 kg, while the neck and shoulder muscles are also subjected to greater pressure, the neck and shoulder muscles will be sore for a long time.
One study found that sitting with the head tilted forward easily squeezed the chest and lungs, reducing respiratory function.
What is proper sitting?
In a chair without a backrest, the hips are located 1/3 to 2/3 in front 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 hips should fill the seat. Sedentary people can place a suitably sized cushion (which can be rolled with a towel) at the same height as the navel on the back of the back, and then stretch their backs close to the back of the seat so that the lower back is not suspended.
But it should be noted that even if you maintain a good sitting posture, sitting for a long time will still lead to back pain, it is recommended that you change your posture from time to time during a long office period, you can set yourself a "relaxing alarm clock".
6 movements improve the curve of the spine
Since muscles are an important structure that supports the trunk and maintains posture stability, it is helpful to improve the curve of the spine by strengthening muscles and relaxing muscles appropriately.
Here are a few recommended actions for your reference, the first 3 can enhance muscle strength, the last 3 can relax the muscles. Do it 5 times a week, and when the body adapts, it can be appropriately increased.
Action One
Five-point support
Put your hands on both sides of the body with your elbows supported, bend your knees, and lay your feet flat on the ground; slowly lift your hips so that they leave the ground until your torso and thighs are in a straight line, hold them for 5 seconds; slowly lower your hips and lift your hips again before fully relaxing; repeat 20 times for 1 set, doing 4 to 5 sets each time.
Action two
Raise your legs in a kneeling position
Hold your knees on the ground with both hands, keep the shoulder joint and hip joint at 90 degrees, close the abdomen, keep the trunk parallel to the ground; slowly lift the left leg backwards, hold it for 5 seconds and then slowly lower it, then lift the right leg backwards, hold it for 5 seconds and then slowly lower it, so on; 20 times per group, repeat 4 to 5 groups.
Action Three
Raise your hand in a kneeling position
Hold your knees on the ground with both hands, abdomen, keep the torso parallel to the ground; slowly raise your left arm, hold it for 5 seconds and then slowly lower it, then raise your right arm, hold it for 5 seconds and then slowly lower it, so on at a time; 20 times per group, repeat 4 to 5 groups.
Action Four
Stand up on the ground
Lie prone, with your hands under your shoulders, press the ground hard, lift your upper body; straighten your elbows, straighten your chest, and put your legs on the ground; support your body with arm strength, hold it for 5 to 10 seconds and then lower your body and restore. 20 times per group, do 4 to 5 groups.
Action Five
Cat-style
Hands on the ground, kneeling, full body relaxation, arching the back like a cat, holding for 15 to 30 seconds, resting for 10 seconds, 8 to 10 times for a group, repeating 4 to 5 groups.
Action Six
Stand with your chest stretched
Feet are shoulder width apart, fingers crossed behind the back, shoulders stretched backwards and downwards, arms straight, not arched; feel the chest and shoulders stretched. Keep this action for 15 seconds, rest for 5 seconds, 8 to 10 times in a group, and repeat for 4 to 5 sets.
It should be reminded that overweight people should maintain a good posture. Because the body is too heavy, the pressure on the spine is greater, and if you often use a bad posture, it is easy to cause spinal rupture.
It is recommended that overweight people choose the above exercises according to their own conditions while losing weight. ▲
Editor of this issue: Liu Yunxuan Action Demonstration: Xu Menglian
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