Dr. Stefano Sinicropi, M.D.

We preach a lot about healthy posture on this site, and rightfully so. Poor spinal positioning can put undue pressure on certain areas of your back, speeding up tissue breakdown or contributing to spinal inflammation. You need to make sure your spine is in a healthy and comfortable position throughout the day, and that begins by performing regular checks during situations where it’s easy to fall into poor posture habits. In today’s blog, we take a closer look at five daily places where you should conduct regular posture checks and ensure your spine is in a healthy and comfortable location.

Where Your Spine Should Be Comfy

Here’s a look at five regularly-visited locations that can put excess pressure on our spine if we fall into bad posture habits, and how to ensure you have comfortable spinal positioning during each of these activities.

1. Your Car – Car seat backs are rarely contoured to really provide ample support to your spine, which means in many cases you’re either leaning back too far and hurting your cervical spine, or you’re channeling a lot of stress onto your lumbar spine. Even if you don’t have that long of a commute, position your seat back so that your spine is in a natural and comfortable position, and consider keeping a small pillow or towel in your car that you can place behind the small of your back for extra comfort and support.
2. The Office – If you work in a cubicle or a home office, odds are you spend a lot of time sitting at a desk. Your spine needs to be comfortable during this period, otherwise all that time punching the clock can damage your spine. Invest in a high-quality office chair that contours to your spine and provides ample support and comfort. Also be sure to stand up and stretch a couple times each hour to help prevent stiffness and repetitive strain on the same areas of your spine.
3. The Couch – If you like to kick back and read a book or watch some television on the couch after a long day or work, that’s great, just make sure your spine is comfortable. Overly cushioned couches can leave you sinking into the couch with little spinal support, and you may not realize how much pressure you’re putting on your lumbar spine. Mind your spinal comfort when sitting on the couch, and don’t just assume that every couch supports your spine the same. And just like when you’re at the office, get up and move around every 30 minutes or so to alleviate stress on your spine.
4. Your Workout – Spinal positioning isn’t just important when you’re sitting, it’s also crucial when you’re exercising and strengthening your spine. Whether you’re running, lifting weights or doing some lunges, you want your spine to be comfortable. If you’re bending incorrectly or running while you’re leaned too far forward, your spine is going to bear the brunt of this stress. Conduct a self-check of your positioning as you exercise or ask others for advice on your form to ensure you’re not overly stressing your spine during your workout because of a posture problem.
5. Your Bed – Finally, just because you’re laying down in bed doesn’t mean your spine is automatically in a healthy position. You need to have a bed that successfully supports your spine and helps ensure stress is dispersed equally. If you haven’t replaced your mattress in a decade, it’s time to look into a new option, because odds are it no longer supports your spine like it should. We’re in bed for 6-10 hours a day, we need to make sure our spine is comfortable when we’re in it!

For help ensuring your spine is comfortable in all these locations, or for help treating a back problem that has developed, reach out to Dr. Sinicropi and his team today.

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