Holding the phone between shoulder and head, crossing legs, bending the trunk to pick up weight: we have all fallen into these bad postures at some point. Many of them are learned in school and others are derived from the environment in which we live, but all of them have consequences on our daily health.
According to Manel Domingo, dean of the College of Physiotherapists of Catalonia and specialist in Postural Ergonomics, the current education system lacks minimal teaching on how children should sit, lift weights or arrange their study space, and teachers also lack this knowledge to transmit to students or correct the consolidation of bad postures in them.
It is striking, Domingo points out, that there is legal regulation on ergonomics in the workplace through occupational risk prevention and that in schools the environment is not adapted to children. Thus, the specialist points out that there are standard desks and chairs that cannot accommodate children’s growth rate, computers are used that do not leave space on desks for handwriting, or school backpacks are loaded with too much weight.
Below we review the most common bad postures, some easy to correct and others that, being a habit learned over the years, involve greater difficulty when changing them:
1. Wallet syndrome. This occurs especially in the case of men when placing their wallet in the back pocket of their pants and sitting, sometimes for hours, in the case of drivers or office workers. Domingo explains that the profusion in the use of cards leads to very bulky wallets that become a kind of lift for the gluteus and that give rise to chronic lower back pain. Avoiding this discomfort is as easy as taking the wallet out of your pocket and leaving it on the seat next to you in the car or on your work desk or in a drawer.
2. Placing the left arm on the window. Also when driving, there is a tendency to rest one of the arms on the window or some element of the car door. When the support point creates an anomalous posture by placing the arm too high habitually, the so-called supraspinatus tendinitis appears. Being aware of the bad posture in these cases is the first rule to avoid performing them.
3. Sitting on the front part of the chair. Many of the low back pains caused by this bad practice are solved simply by getting used to using the entire seat and resting the back on the backrest.
4. Having the work chair poorly adjusted. It is important to adjust the height of the chair so that the feet touch the floor securely and that knees and hips form a 90-degree angle.
5. Picking things up from the floor by flexing the trunk. This bad habit can lead to back hernias if done regularly. The specialist explains that, although it should be generalized, the healthy option of bending the knees and lowering the body to lift along with the weight is common among those who already have back pain.
6. Improper handling of loads. When carrying folders or heavy items, try to bring them closer to the body to better distribute the weight. The same happens in the case of shopping; you should use several bags instead of just one to distribute the load and thus balance body posture when walking.
7. Carrying shoulder bags. This is largely a problem for women, Domingo points out, whose bags also end up being very heavy and alter their posture when walking as they try to naturally compensate for the weight they carry.
8. Screen on one side of the work desk. The computer screen should be in front of the worker; if placed on one side of the desk, it is necessary to tilt the head, producing uncomfortable and forced postures. Additionally, to maintain a healthy neck inclination when working, the line of vision should be set starting from the top of the screen.
9. When sleeping, doing it face down and with the head tilted. It is one of the most difficult habits to change since we act unconsciously when we fall asleep, Domingo points out. Even so, it is possible and necessary to change these habits as they generate tension in the neck and respiratory problems by compressing the weight of the body on the chest.
10. Crossing your legs. It’s one of the most common bad postures and can cause muscle pain resulting from the body’s attempt to regain its natural alignment.
Source: La opinión de Málaga
