Learn The Alignment Of Your Body

Learn The Alignment Of Your Body

 Growing up, most children were told how to sit, stand and walk properly. As children we don't need properly cushioned running shoes, no ergonomic chairs for back pain, simply because as children we are still adapting to the world. Maybe it's because of the environment, the food, and the furniture, but even with all the things they tell us, we do what we feel is comfortable. We hunch over, drag our legs, lean on our sides and sit at the weirdest angles. This in turn has become a habit that affects the alignment of our body and bringing it back to what has been considered a healthy posture seems unattainable. Power office chairs could help, but unless they are designed as office chairs for back pain, they may not have much of an effect. Now, poor posture may not be a big deal, especially for the young, but poor posture in old age can hurt our health, and we're not just talking about back pain and fatigue. The wrong body can also cause breathing problems, digestive problems, and/or headaches. Can we fix this? Simple answer? Yes! With some awareness and effort, your body can be made to relearn proper body alignment. Even if you don't have access to a yoga or pilates instructor, or even a pilates chair, there are ways to adjust your posture to a healthy one. Before we talk about exercises and techniques, learn how to assess what position our body is currently in. That way we would know what to work on. How to check your posture This is where your “mirror selfie” skills come into play. Don't worry, we're not asking you to post it on social media (if you don't want to). First, in the comfort of your home, wear something that can show off your shape, something that shows the symmetry of your posture. Once you have it covered, use a crayon to mark the full length of the mirror with a vertical line right down the middle and a horizontal line at the height of your shoulders. Yes, you can delete these lines from the mirror after the assessment. Now you can take some mirror selfies. On the first one (facing the mirror), the intersection of the cross should line up where your collarbones meet. In the second picture (side), the intersection should be at the armpit. You don't need to fix your posture at this point just to get a "good" posture, remember this is just an assessment. Guidelines for correct posture Now that you've taken your shots, you can check how you're doing. For a front-facing image, the vertical guide line should symmetrically cross your body from head to toe. The arms should come out evenly along the horizontal line. Large deviations from them are misalignments that need to be corrected. For a side view picture, the correct alignment should be: a vertical line should cross the ear, the front armpit, and the rest of the torso, the lower legs should be behind the line, as the upper half of the body should be aligned with the feet for balance. Deviations from proper alignment If the vertical line is closer to the back of your body than the rest of your body, it means your hips are being pushed forward. The lower cruciate syndrome is when your back is too curved, pushing your pelvis and stomach forward. Rounded shoulders are characterized by shoulders hunched forward and a vertical line aligned with the back of the armpit instead of the front. The forward head bearing will be indicated by the ear from the vertical line and the hyperextended neck. The upper crossed syndrome is a combination of rounded shoulders and carrying the head forward. Head tilt shows you where your head is "tilted" to one side. Uneven shoulders will appear more clearly compared to a horizontal line on the mirror. If you've seen any deviations, stretching and strengthening exercises can help correct them. And to help correct your body alignment, the right ergonomic chair will help. To help correct your body alignment, the right ergonomic chair for back pain will help.