What is good posture?
Posture is the position in which you hold your body upright against gravity while standing, sitting or lying down. Thus good posture involves training your body to stand, walk, sit and lie in positions that will put less strain on the supporting muscles and ligaments during movement or other weight-bearing activities.
Good posture:
- Keep bones and joints in the correct alignment so that your muscles can be used properly.
- It helps decrease the abnormal wearing of joint surfaces that could result in arthritis.
- Decreases the stress on the ligaments holding the joints of the spine together.
- Prevents the spine from becoming fixed in abnormal positions.
- Prevents fatigue because muscles are being used more efficiently, allowing the body to use less energy.
- Prevents strain or overuse problems.
- Prevents backache and muscular pain.
- Contributes to a good appearance.
Proper posture requirements
Correct sitting position
- Sit up with your back straight and your shoulders back and ensure your buttocks should touch the back of the chair.
- All 3 normal back curves should be present while sitting, a small, rolled-up towel or a lumbar roll can be used to help you maintain the normal curves in your back.
- Sit at the end of your chair and slouch completely.
- Draw yourself up and accentuate the curve of your back as far as possible and hold for a few seconds.
- Release the position slightly (about 10 degrees) as this is a good sitting posture.
- Distribute your body weight evenly on both hips.
- Bend your knees at a right angle and keep your knees even with or slightly higher than your hips, also use a footrest or stool if necessary as further support. Ensure you do not cross your legs.
- Keep your feet flat on the floor at all time.
- Ensure you do not sit in the same position for more than 30 minutes.
- At work, adjust your chair height and work station so you can sit up close to your table and tilt it up at you. Make sure you rest your elbows and arms on your chair or desk, thus keeping your shoulders relaxed.
- When sitting in a chair that rolls and pivots, don't twist at the waist while sitting, instead, turn your whole body.
- When you stand up from the sitting position, move to the front of the seat of your chair and stand up by straightening your legs. Avoid bending forward at your waist and stretch your back immediately by doing 10 standing backbends.
Here's how to find a good sitting position when you are not using a back support or lumbar roll:
- Ensure you distribute your body weight evenly on both hips.
- Bend your knees at a right angle, keep your knees even with or slightly higher than your hips, use a footrest or stool if necessary and your legs should not be crossed.
- Keep your feet flat on the floor and try to avoid sitting in the same position for more than 30 minutes.
- At work, adjust your chair height and work station so you can sit up close to your table and tilt it up at you. Rest your elbows and arms on your chair or desk, keeping your shoulders relaxed.
- When sitting in a chair that rolls and pivots, don't twist at the waist while sitting, instead, turn your whole body.
- When you are about to stand up from your sitting position, move to the front of the seat of your chair and stand up by straightening your legs. Avoid bending forward at your waist and immediately stretch your back by doing 10 standing backbends.
Correct driving position
- Make sure you use back support (lumbar roll) at the curve of your back, and your knees should be at the same level or higher than your hips.
- Move the seat close to the steering wheel to support the curve of your back, the seat should be close enough to allow your knees to bend and your feet to reach the pedals.
What is the best position for sleeping and lying down?
No matter what position you lie in, the pillow should be under your head, but not your shoulders, and should be a thickness that allows your head to be in a normal position.
- Ensure you sleep in a position that helps you maintain the curve in your back (such as on your back with a pillow under your knees or a lumbar roll under your lower back; or on your side with your knees slightly bent). Do not sleep on your side with your knees drawn up to your chest and you might want to avoid sleeping on your stomach, especially on a saggy mattress, since this can cause back strain and can be uncomfortable for your neck.
- Select a firm mattress and box spring set that does not sag, if necessary, place a board under your mattress. It may also be advisable that you place the mattress on the floor temporarily if this is necessary. If you have always slept on a soft surface, it may be more painful to change to a hard surface, so try and do what is most comfortable for you.
- Try using back support like lumbar support at night to make you more comfortable, a rolled sheet or towel tied around your waist may be helpful.
- When standing up from the lying position, turn on your side, draw up both knees and swing your legs on the side of the bed and sit up by pushing yourself up with your hands. Try avoiding bending forward at your waist.