Back pain is most often caused by poor posture, which leads to muscle contractures. This kind of pain can cause immense discomfort and can negatively disturb your everyday routines. Back pain is aggravated by stress and it is important to maintain a good posture, at work, and at play.
Right Posture in Front of Your Computer
Why do we have back pain? When you are in a sitting position, the angle between the thighs and the trunk closes and you tend to lean forward, which can cause back pain by pulling the lumbar vertebrae.
Anti-back pain posture: In front of a computer, back should remain straight with both feet firmly on the ground or a footrest. To position your pelvis correctly, you can sit on a small cushion so that your buttocks are slightly raised in relation to the knees.
Our advice: Ideally, stretch two or three times an hour and change position as often as possible to avoid stiffness.
Right Posture if You Walk on Heels
The higher the heels, the more the body is thrown forward. To compensate, we are obliged to accentuate the arch, which the lumbar vertebrae do not appreciate.
Anti-back pain solution: Do not wear too high heels! In general, a heel height of two to three centimeters is considered to be right.
Our advice: If you continue to wear high heels despite everything, “always have a second pair lower to be able to alternate during the day,” recommends occupational therapist Dominique Leboucq.
Right Posture if You Work While Standing
Staying up all day promotes back pain. According to a study by the INRS (National Institute for Research and Safety) carried out among 800 employees in the industry, 15% of those who had buttock support complained of lower back pain, against 40% of those who had one seat and 25% for those who worked standing without support.
Anti-back pain solution: Buttock care is crucial for supporting the back at regular intervals. To set up your workstation, your contacts are the occupational physician and the Health, Safety and Working Conditions Committee (CHSCT) of your company.
Correct Posture When Driving
Driving requires sitting for a long time, in a relatively low position, which mobilizes the lower back. The chaos of the road and the vibrations of the vehicle are some of the other factors that intensify the negative effects.
Anti-backache solution: Learn how to adjust your seat correctly. To do this, try all the seat adjustments so that the back is well supported. You can also place a rolled-up towel in the hollow of your back.
Our advice: To contract the shoulders too much, pull them down and back as often as possible. Breaks are necessary for walking and stretching.
Correct Posture When You Sleep
What not to do: sleep on your stomach. “We arch the lumbar vertebrae and twist our necks because we have to turn our head,” says Caroline Lambert, chiropractor.
Anti-backache solution: Choose a mattress that conforms to the shapes. The mattress should be neither too soft nor too firm. Too soft, the body sinks in and is not supported. Too firm, shoulders, and hips press hard. “The ideal? The memory foam mattresses that hug the body and distribute the support zones, “notes occupational therapist Dominique Leboucq.
Our advice: The mattress should rest on a slatted base that is hard enough to provide the best cushioning. The pillow must be at the right height to respect the physiological alignment of the body.
Correct Posture When Lifting a Load
The basic principles for lifting a heavy load are the same, whether it is a parcel, a water pack, or even a child.
At home:
– We place ourselves directly above the load.
– To catch it, we bend down while crouching.
– If it is a suitcase in a trunk (a frequent source of lumbago), you bend your knees by resting yourself on the bumper, “and you lift the load using the strength of your legs, like a weightlifter,” explains Dominique Leboucq, occupational therapist.
At work:
Europe has set 15 kg as the reference standard beyond which employees must have technical assistance to lift a package. “This threshold is starting to be respected. It is already in the automotive industry, “observes Jean-Pierre Zana, ergonomist.
Right Attitude When You Exercise
Only high-level sport or intensive practice (several hours a day) can be harmful. Horseback riding poses no particular risk to the vertebrae. As well as tennis or running.
Our advice: The important thing is to be cautious while exercising.
