‘You stand like an overcooked prawn!’ Why bad posture is the key to back pain – and 10 ways to improve yours

f I was to draw a straight line across the left shoulder and the right shoulder, there’s about an inch difference. Your spine is twisted – you’re twisting it both directions. Look how that right foot is coming out slightly … You’ll notice that your knees are also coming in, there’s a slight knock knee going on on both sides – that’s because you’re also tilting forwards. So your pelvis is not only twisting, it’s also tilted.”, the news doesn’t sound brilliant.

I’m a black-belt sitter, by turns slumped, crouched like a cathedral gargoyle or contorted into a human pretzel. I sit whenever I can, including brushing my teeth or cooking; I just really like sitting, OK? I don’t have serious back problems – yet – but my shoulders are tight, my left buttock regularly aches and I get a niggling sciatic pain down the outside of the same leg. I’m desperate to stop things getting worse.

I’m left feeling self-conscious about my knock knees, forward slump and tortoise neck – “like an overcooked prawn”, as my best friend says. I’m almost jealous of the debutantes, with their finishing schools and deportment lessons. The good news is that King doesn’t think I need expert help at the moment: some simple self-help measures should do the trick. So I try to walk more, implementing his recommended stride adjustment to get myself more upright – “an inch further and heel to toe”.

Our ankles have also become weaker now we wear formal footwear less often, Gomez says, so strengthen them with heel raises. Put a tennis ball between your ankles, keeping your toes close together, then, using a shelf, table or counter for balance, go up quickly on the balls of your feet and come down slowly and gently, without dropping the ball.

When you’re stretching, always do it on an outbreath, King adds. “When you breathe out, all the intrinsic muscles relax.” And don’t stretch until you’re pushing into the point of pain. “StretchWithout an employer’s health and safety department to keep me on the ergonomic straight and narrow, I do a workstation assessment with, submitting pictures of me at my desk, leaning forward to peer at my screen, legs crossed, balanced on one buttock.

Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Twitter probably fumbled the Hunter Biden story. But don’t expect a sane investigation | Margaret SullivanWhy I’m not hopeful that the Republican-led House investigation will stay grounded in reality After the investigation Hunter should be thrown out of office! Oh, wait... This is truly pathetic. Expected better from . GuardianUS Tell us, what government role/office did Hunter Biden hold? NONE. But where’s calls for inquiries into Trump’s children who were given official roles in Trump administration and demonstrably acted corruptly? It’s crazy how the media has been covering this up. The Biden family are so corrupt it’s not funny. They make Trump look like an angel. His dad is not only destroying the American economy but the world.
Source: GuardianAus - 🏆 1. / 98 Read more »

Why it’s time to hedge your portfolioAs central banks battle inflation a likely ‘revenge rally’ by the US dollar will give investors pause for thought, writes Giselle Roux.
Source: FinancialReview - 🏆 2. / 90 Read more »

'Thank you, goodbye': Why Centrelink is hanging up on Australia's most vulnerableSeveral Australians in need of assistance have expressed their distress about Centrelink's automated phone messaging system that is not taking their calls. Been like this for years. Doubt they will change anything. An utterly broken system In my years of dealing with Centrelink, I have never once managed to get a human to answer the disability “support” line. It usually doesn't answer at all; just a permanent engaged tone. This is not new; it's been that way for decades.
Source: SBSNews - 🏆 3. / 89 Read more »

Why the earthquake in Turkey was so deadlyExperts are warning that even more aftershocks are expected, given the size of the main quake.
Source: smh - 🏆 6. / 80 Read more »

Why the earthquake in Turkey was so deadlyA major magnitude 7.8 earthquake followed by another strong quake devastated wide swaths of Turkey and Syria on Monday, killing thousands of people. Here’s what to know.
Source: brisbanetimes - 🏆 13. / 67 Read more »

Why Australia needs to own its strategic powerOur market size, proximity and people-to-people links mean we should be one of the primary engines of a sphere of integration – rather than a sphere of influence, write HerveLemahieu and SusannahCPatton.
Source: FinancialReview - 🏆 2. / 90 Read more »