6 Science-Backed Tips to Improve Posture, Reduce Back Pain

For many of us, dealing with back pain and similar other problems can be quite the challenge. 

Back pain is a very common issue for many people, and impacts over 80% of the population at one stage in their lives, according to the American Chiropractic Association. 

As such, it’s important that you understand just how important it is to care for your back and look after it accordingly. 

For many people, back pain is caused by poor posture. If you are someone who works at a desk all day, or even endures regular physical work, you will know just how bad your posture can become.

Not sure how to go about fixing your posture? We’ve got some great ideas for you below: proven, effective ways to start improving the way your back feels.

If you want to help improve your posture and leave yourself feeling fitter and fresher, these are some great starting points.

First off, you need to improve your general posture. This is the hardest part for many people, but it’s very easily done.

One of the best ways to help your standing posture is to simply get up and keep your chin level with the ground, your shoulders pressed back, and your stomach sucked in.

Once you do this, you will feel a nice tightness around the lower back. If you suffer from poor posture, that should feel pretty good. Hold that pose for a few moments and get someone to take a photo of you. Now, you have an easy reference point that you can use as a guide.

If you need some help for improving walking posture, try and find yourself some footwear with low heels, as these can play tricks with your overall alignment.

Many of us have problems when it comes to our posture because we don’t take care to maintain good physical shape when sitting down.

You should try to get yourself to a 135-degree angle, if you can, or something similar. It’s going to be good for making sure you can stretch out your back in full, though it may make getting work done a bit of a challenge!

Favouring a 135-degree angle is a good way to relieve some of the pressure or your back, and ensure that you no longer feel so much pressure on the lowest parts of the spine.

While you might need to change this seating style for working purposes, try and reline to 135 degrees when relaxing and/or on breaks or calls.

If you want to help improve posture, you should concentrate on working on your shoulders and chest as much as your back.

One of the most effective ways to do this is to stand up against a wall and then spread your legs ever so slightly; then hold your arms up to a 90-degree angle, as you would if you were making an angel shape in the snow.

Start to raise your arms up and down, and you should begin to feel the positive impact of doing so, with small but effective improvements to your posture.

A massage is a great way to help with posture problems and will often go a very long way towards improving self-esteem, according to research from Spa Hotels Ireland.

If you are serious about improving your posture, a massage will help to work on the pain points that subconsciously make you slouch and put less pressure on the area of discomfort.

With a massage, you can work out the kinks and stresses that might be disrupting your ability to maintain good physical shape and form, especially when sitting.

Of course, if you are someone who is deeply into technology then you will likely spend a lot of time on your smartphone. You aren’t alone in that and will often be one of the many people in your office, or train, or bus etc. using your handheld device.

However, the shape that we favour when looking at a smartphone is damaging to our posture.

You should look to spend less time on your phone, generally. If you do use it, try and keep it a bit closer up to where your eyes would naturally be, as looking down for so long will take a toll on your posture.

Good posture when sleeping is naturally a hard thing to get right. One thing that we recommend is that you try and avoid sleeping on your right-hand side – it’s not good for the heart, nor is it good for the body. Sleeping on your back, though, is a good way to help improve your posture.

If you are someone who naturally sleeps on their front, you will often feel the effects of doing so the next day in the form of nerve issues, aches and pains – all of which can make us more likely to adopt a bad posture.

Try and sleep supine, as it keeps your back nice and straight and will give your neck, spine and back a much-needed rest.

If you are serious about making the most of every day, you’ll want to rid yourself of the various aches and pains you feel. To that end, we recommend that you start working on improving your posture, starting with these six simple but science-backed suggestions.

From how you sleep to how you work, there are lots of small lifestyle changes you can make to improve your posture. Keep that in mind, as it might go some way to improving your quality of life moving forward.

Written by Liyana Perry,  a writer at sparetreats.ie with a passion for writing blogs about natural health and spirituality. She enjoys long walks with a breeze and finding ways to make dessert healthy.