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How Posture Can Aggravate a Lumbar Herniated Disc

May 31, 2018 thespinecare 0 Comments

There are a number of reasons which will lead to a herniated disc and the symptoms you experience from it including the location of the disc. But you may be surprised to learn that situational factors, such as good posture help you maintain good spine health and improve your overall lumbar herniation.

The dangers of poor lifting posture

While it is important that you follow the rule of lifting from the legs and not from the back, it is more complicated than that, but it is important not to place a heavy load on your lower back – as it aggrevates the herniated disc.

It doesn’t matter if you are lifting a single box or multiple boxes, it is important that you maintain proper lifting posture. Here are a few simple guideline to follow while lifting:

  • Keep your chest forward. While lifting heavy load it is important to bend from your hips and not from your back and keep your chest out.
  • Lead with your hips. It is important that you should while changing directions, lead with your hips and not your lower back, this will reduce stress.
  • Keep the object close to your body. Keep the item you are lifting as close to your body as possible.

The Dangers of poor sitting posture

You may be surprised to know that sitting on a chair or couch can place more stress on the spinal discs than standing. On top of this, most people slouch when they sit at their desks for an extended period of time. This can overstretch your spinal ligaments and strain your herniated disc.

Try these following positions when sitting on a chair to help protect your herniated disc:

  • Keep your back flat against the chair, with the shoulders tall with your head level over your spine
  • Keep your hips at the same height as your knees, or keep your knees a little higher than your hips.
  • Keep your feet flat on the ground, and if you can’t reach the ground, you can use a footrest.

It is important to keep active while sitting on your desk, so try to move around by getting up and walking during the day. The general rule of thumb is to walk around every 20-30 minutes, you can go for a walk, stretch at your desk, or, at the very least, stand up to make phone calls for a few minutes.

 

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