Sitting while leaning back can be dangerous to your health. [Photo/shesaid.com]
Spending a lot of time with your shoulders and upper back rounded (slouching) can put a strain on the muscles and soft tissues around the back, neck, and shoulders.Slouching has a lot to do with bad sitting or standing posture. So how does one deal with it?Strain on the backAt the office, if you find yourself sitting on the edge of the chair and leaning back to support your head and shoulders, you are slowly damaging the muscles of your back.Most people get into this habit unconsciously, especially when they have been working on the computer for more than three straight hours.Sitting in a bad posture means there is no balance in the body in terms of weight distribution. Most of the body weight will be on one side, meaning the muscles on that side will be straining more than the muscles on the other part of the body. Hunching over your laptop, or computer keyboard with the head leaning forward is also not good for the upper back because over time, it stiffens the muscles.For some people, their computers are on the sides of their working space, meaning they have to twist their bodies to one side to work on the computer.If you spend a lot of time sitting in the bad posture, there is a likely chance that you may develop some form of deformity in the back. To protect your back, therefore, always sit back in your chair and use a lumbar pillow. Make sure that your feet are flat on the ground.Poor standing postureThe spinal cord is supposed to be slightly curved. However, for some people, their bottoms tend to stick out, causing a more pronounced curve. There are many reasons the spine can have a pronounced curve such as excessive abdominal weight and wearing high heeled shoes.The duration one spends in this posture tends to weaken the muscles that are supposed to support the entire spinal cord. With time, these muscles will not be able to function properly.Also, leaning on one leg, carrying a baby on one hip or carrying a heavy bag on one shoulder will place pressure on one side of the lower back.This may cause muscle imbalances around the pelvis area. According to monitor.co.ug, the correct way to keep your body in perfect alignment is to stand with the neck straight and the shoulders parallel with the hips.Lifting Many people suffer sharp pains in their lower backs when they try to bend to lift things. Using the wrong posture to lift can hurt the back because the most dangerous position the back can be in is the bending position. Instead, stand directly in front of the object, pull in your stomach, and then, squat from the knees to lift the object.