Back pain and posture.

Nobody is immune to Back pain. It is the most common musculoskeletal condition, like tooth decay and the common cold, this is an affliction that affects a substantial proportion of population, at some point in their lives. This condition does not discriminate by gender, age, race or culture.

There are a number of surveys in many countries that reveal a point-prevalence of 17–30%, a 1-month prevalence of 19–43% and a life-time prevalence of 60–80%.

It has been said that backahe is the price the human race is paying for adopting a erect posture.
There are a number of factors which contribute towards developing backache like: Work environment and ergonomics, posture, psychosocial factors and spine/extraspinal pathologies. Sometimes these factors overlap towards causing this condition.

Common conditions that cause the back ache are: Disc pathologies, Injuries, degenerative changes in the spine, infections etc.

If your have chronic backpain, pain radiating along the thighs or legs, recurrent backpains, tingling or altered sensation in the limbs; please see the orthopaedician as it needs to be investigated.

In this article i will concentrate on backpain related to work and posture.

 Back pain is often a consequence of poor posture and stress on spine. This causes overtaxing of various tissues of the spine.

Stooping either in sitting or standing posture increases the strain on the spine leading to damage to intervetebral disks.








                                                                              

Sit upright, with knees bent 90 degrees and at the same horizontal level as the hips. Soles should be flat, sometimes footrest is required. You should sit right back in the chair, with your back stright and rested on the backrest.                                                                                          


               



Sit close to the table, with the right chair height. Do not bend. Do not stand or sit for more than
    40 mins at a time.








Stand with erect posture, do not stoop.

Working in standing posture: upright posture, relaxed shoulders, elbow height working surface.












          Getting up from sitting posture: Keep your back stright, slide to the edge and then move both hips and knees at the same time.

 Sleeping: Sleep on a firm surface, with a small pillow.

Getting up from lying position: Turn to the side. Bend both legs, use both hands to push yourself up into a sitting position.

Carrying: Distribute weight evenly on both sides.

 Picking up: Bend your hips snd knees, do not bend the back. Keep your legs slightly apart, hold the object close to the body.

Driving: sit back in the seat, with the back rested.

Greater the curvature of the spine, greater the stress on the spine.














Do's and Dont's for Back ache.
Do's:

• Sit and Stand stright.
• Sit with stright back and always with back support.
• Follow correct postures while doing things.

Dont's:

• Do not bend farwards.
• Do not lift weight.
• Avoid prolonged sitting and standing, take breaks.

I hope with these simple measures to take care of your posture and ergonomics, you will keep the back pain away. I would like to thank Roche for the above illustrations.

My other posts on:
Ergonomics
Knee Pain