Throughout the day people adopt different postures depending on the activities they perform. Bad postural habits such as being in the same position for a long time, repetitive movements, forced and maintained postures, performing activities that require strength or sedentary lifestyle, can trigger back pain. If these discomforts are not treated in time, they can cause or worsen back problems.
But what is postural hygiene? Postural hygiene is the set of rules and advice, both static and dynamic, that will help you maintain an alignment of the whole body in order to avoid possible injuries, muscle pain and contractures in the deep muscles. The latter are the main cause of more serious conditions such as sciatica or herniated discs.
These days they ask you to stay at home or try to leave as little as possible, so we give you some specific recommendations for both those who work and those who do the cleaning in their homes:
General recommendations
- Do not stay in the same posture for long periods.
- Alternate activities that require standing with others that involve sitting or moving.
- Sandwich short rest periods between the different activities.
- If necessary, adequately modify the environment (furniture, lighting, etc.) looking for the most comfortable and safest situation for the back.
- At the end of the day use Cordus and Sacrus to relax the deeper muscles of the back and thus avoid contractures.
- At bedtime, it is best to do it on your back. If you cannot sleep in another pose, you should try to do it slightly on your side.
For those who work from home
- When sitting you should fully support your feet on the floor and keep your knees at the same level or above your hips.
- You have to find a chair whose back supports the back in the same position that the spine has when standing.
- Try to rotate the whole body at once, not just the neck, not just the legs.
- When in front of the computer, the screen must be able to orient and tilt. You should place the screen about 45 cm. away, in front of the eyes and at their height, or slightly below. The wrists and forearms should be straight and aligned with the keyboard, with the elbow flexed at 90º.
- When driving, you have to put the car seat forward to reach the pedals without having to stretch your legs and rest your back on the backrest.
To do housework:
- To pick up something from the ground, you have to bend down flexing your knees, with your back straight and your head raised, resting both feet on the ground, slightly separated and getting as close as possible to what is going to be loaded.
- Raise objects to chest level with your elbows flexed to ensure the load is as close to the body as possible.
- When sweeping and mopping the floor, make sure that the length of the broom is long enough for it to reach the floor without you having to bend over.
- When vacuuming, adopt the same posture as to mop the floor, slightly flex the knee with which you usually advance.
- When cleaning the windows, it is recommended that if you use your right hand, put your right foot forward and back your left foot, that you rest your left hand on the window frame at shoulder height and use your right hand to clean. If you are left-handed, reverse the directions.
- When ironing, the ironing board should be at the level of the navel. If you are standing, keep one foot up and rest it on an object or footrest and alternate foot after foot.
- When scrubbing the dishes, make sure that the sink is approximately at the level of the navel, so that you can hold a plate on it with the column straight and the elbows at a 90º angle. Keep one foot up on an object or footrest and alternate foot after foot.
Being physically active will help you maintain good body posture and to eliminate stress throughout the day. You can complement your stretching routines with the Cordus and Sacrus devices, which in addition to relaxing the tonic muscles, are an excellent treatment for conditions related to back pain such as sciatica, herniated disc, scoliosis, low back pain, lysis and others; and the best, without leaving home.
