“Good posture is something few people consistently demonstrate. If you look at people around you, chances are many of them will be slouching or standing with their weight shifted onto one leg or leaning up against something. Even as a physical therapist, I find myself straightening up before explaining to new patients how their poor posture is a likely cause of their pain. The fact is that good posture, or neutral spine posture, can be hard to maintain. It requires a good balance between muscle strength and flexibility, and more importantly, a keen sense of awareness of how you move and position your body during activities.

The basic concept is to attempt to maintain a neutral spine posture no matter what you do. In other words, keep the natural curves of the spine present with whatever activity you are doing. Some people think it only pertains to strenuous activities, such as lifting something very heavy, but in fact it should be applied to tasks as simple as brushing your teeth. Anytime the spine moves out of its ideal alignment, where it is stongest and stable, the risk of injury is greater. In addition, any activities that are repeated or sustained can cause micro trauma to tissues, resulting in possible injury.”1

If you look at the diagram here, you can see the spine has a curve inward at the neck, outward in the upper back, inward at the lower back, and outward again at the area commonly referred to as the tailbone. When the balance of these curves is maintained, neutral spine has been achieved. Now of course, you will move out of neutral spine alignment many times a day and your body needs to. But for everyday activities that are repeated or sustained, the more neutral you can be, the better you will feel, especially if you are recovering from an injury. The field of ergonomics is based upon optimizing the body’s ability to remain or achieve neutral alignment with the help of various tools and modifications to the environment.

So this will be the start of my “Ergonomic Tip of the Week” blog. Each week I’ll pick an everday activity and highlight how to it do correctly, what not to do, and why. I will also talk about various ergonomic tools available that may be of benefit for various tasks and injuries. I hope you find this information helpful in preventing injuries or as part of your rehabilitation process.

1 Excerpted from the book, Preventing and Managing Back Pain During Pregnancy.