What is the correct sitting position?

What is the correct sitting position?

• Sit up with your back straight and your shoulders back. Your buttocks should touch the back of your chair.
• All three normal back curves should be present while sitting. A small, rolled-up towel or a lumbar roll can be used to help you maintain the normal curves in your back.

Here's how to find a good sitting position when you're not using a back support or lumbar roll:

• Sit at the end of your chair and slouch completely.
• Draw yourself up and accentuate the curve of your back as far as possible. Hold for a few seconds.
• Release the position slightly (about 10 degrees). This is a good sitting posture.
• Distribute your body weight evenly on both hips.
• Bend your knees at a right angle. Keep your knees even with or slightly higher than your hips. (use a foot rest or stool if necessary). Your legs should not be crossed.
• Keep your feet flat on the floor.
• Try to avoid sitting in the same position for more than 30 minutes.
• At work, adjust your chair height and work station so you can sit up close to your work and tilt it up at you. Rest your elbows and arms on your chair or desk, keeping your shoulders relaxed.
• When sitting in a chair that rolls and pivots, don't twist at the waist while sitting. Instead, turn your whole body.
• When standing up from the sitting position, move to the front of the seat of your chair. Stand up by straightening your legs. Avoid bending forward at your waist. Immediately stretch your back.

Give Fitworks Corrective Therapy a call today to get a free posture evaluation and discover what your posture is doing.

Gary Rumel, Corrective Therapist

FitworksCorrective Therapy

www.fitworksutah.com

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What is good posture?

What is good posture?

Posture is the position in which you hold your body upright against gravity while standing, sitting or lying down. Good posture involves training your body to stand, walk, sit and lie in positions where the least strain is placed on supporting muscles and ligaments during movement or weight-bearing activities. Proper posture:

• Keeps bones and joints in the correct alignment so that muscles are being used properly.
• Helps decrease the abnormal wearing of joint surfaces that could result in arthritis.
• Decreases the stress on the ligaments holding the joints of the spine together.
• Prevents the spine from becoming fixed in abnormal positions.
• Prevents fatigue because muscles are being used more efficiently, allowing the body to use less energy.
• Prevents strain or overuse problems.
• Prevents backache and muscular pain.
• Contributes to a good appearance. 

Give Fitworks Corrective Therapy a call today to get a free posture evaluation and discover what you posture is doing.

Gary Rumel, Corrective Therapist

Fitworks Corrective Therapy
www.fitworksutah.com

Why is Good Posture Important?

Why is Good Posture Important?

Posture is important for many reasons.  My top reasons for having good posture are:

1. It affects your health and fitness
2. It sends a message to others about how you feel about yourself
3. Good posture can make you appear taller, thinner and more at ease

Identifying Poor Posture

Before you can correct bad posture, you must first identify it. Some of the causes of poor posture include poor sitting and standing postures, inflexibility or weakness in joints and muscles and sitting or standing incorrectly in a workplace such as cradling a phone receiver between your shoulder and neck.

Signs of poor posture include holding your head and neck too far forward or down, slouching and rolling (or hunching) your shoulders, slouching forward while sitting, arching your lower back too much.

If you are sitting on your wallet in your hip pants pocket, place your purse on one shoulder or if you sit at a computer hunched over you most likely have a posture problem. 

The best way to identify bad posture is through a detailed posture evaluation. A posture evaluation will take pictures of you standing in front of a grid as well as doing different muscle tests. With this evaluation you will know exactly your posture issues are.  You will be surprised on how your posture looks.

Benefits of Good Posture

By having good posture, you can prevent or eliminate low back pain, neck strain and carpal tunnel syndrome. These conditions and more result from constant muscle strain caused by holding your body in an unnatural position. Poor posture also can quickly put wear and tear on your joints, which can then lead to arthritis and other problems.

Good posture allows you to use your muscles more efficiently because they are in correct alignment. Correct use of the muscles not only relieves pain but  it can also give you an energy boost because your muscles don't have to strain themselves.

Complications of Poor Posture

When you achieve good posture, you will prevent your spine from becoming fixed. One example of this is seen in people who must bend forward for long periods of time at work. Not only are these people at risk for developing a permanent spinal problems, but their postural muscles become imbalanced making it progressively more difficult for them to stand up straight.

Some of the problems from a fixed spine include constricted nerves and blood vessels, muscle pain as well as sore discs and joints. With good posture you can prevent the headaches, breathing problems, fatigue and damage to internal organs that can result from spinal maladjustment.  

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS OF GOOD POSTURE

Other benefits of good posture include improvement in breathing as well as better circulation and digestion that result from relieving the bodily stress on the torso and allowing your lungs, digestive system and other organs more room to function. As an added benefit, better posture also will improve the quality of your voice if you do not allow your chest to totally deflate when you exhale.

 

Tips for Good Posture

When seated, place both feet on the floor or on a foot rest if they do not reach the floor, keep your knees level with your hips and sit with your back firmly against the chair. If necessary, adjust the chair so it supports your mid and lower back; or place a small cushion or rolled towel behind the curve of your lower back. Don't lean forward or slouch in your chair.

Do not cross your legs, and keep your ankles in front of your knees; keep your shoulders straight and relaxed, with your forearms parallel to the floor. Maintain a slight gap between the back of your knees and the front edge of your seat. Don't sit in the same position for long periods; stand up and stretch often. Remember to stretch your head upwards with chin pulled in slightly.

The key to good standing posture is the same as sitting: maintain a neutral spine, or one that is not stressed by twists or turns that fatigue spinal muscles and put extra pressure on spinal disks. Hold your chest high, with your shoulders back and relaxed; support your weight on the balls of your feet instead of your heels. Keep your feet parallel and spaced at about shoulder-width apart, with knees slightly bent.

Fitworks Corrective Therapy has been successful in helping clients improve their posture because of musculoskeletal imbalances. By building and stretching the muscles the imbalances go away and posture improves.  Give Fitworks Corrective Therapy a call today to get a free posture evaluation and discover how your posture is doing. 801-703-8503

Gary Rumel, Corrective Therapist

Fitworks Corrective Therapy

www.fitworksutah.com

References:

www.scoi.com

www.livestrong.com

Leg Length Difference (LLD)

Leg Length Difference (LLD)

Having one leg longer than the other leg or having a leg length difference is more common than you think and can problems and pain in your body. 

Leg length differences (LLD) appear to be the third most common cause of running injuries and occur in 60 to 90 percent of the population.

The most common symptom associated with LLD is backache.  If not fixed it could put you at risk to the following problems and more associated with musculoskeletal imbalances:

• Scoliosis
• Arthritis of the knee
• Arthritis of the hip
• Patellar tendinitis
• Plantar fasciitis
• Medial tibial stress syndrome
• Lateral knee pain
• Bursitis
• Tendinitis

Leg length differences usually occur as a result of muscular weakness or inflexibility at the pelvis or foot and ankle complex.

Fitworks Corrective Therapy has been successful in helping clients correct leg length difference associated with musculoskeletal imbalances naturally without surgery or pain pills. By building and stretching the muscles the imbalances go away as well as the pain.  Give Fitworks Corrective Therapy a call today to get a free posture evaluation and discover what is causing you pain.

Source: www.podiatrytoday.com/article/1035

Gary Rumel, Corrective Therapist

FitworksCorrective Therapy

www.fitworksutah.com

Runner’s Knee Pain

Runner’s Knee Pain

Runner's knee is a common problem with runners as well as individuals or athletes who require a lot of knee bending -- like walking, biking, and jumping. It usually causes aching pain around the kneecap.

Runner's knee isn't really a condition itself. It's a term for several knee problems with different causes. Runner's knee can result from:

• Overuse. Repeated bending of the knee can irritate the nerves of the kneecap. Overstretched tendons may also cause the pain of runner's knee.
• Direct trauma to the knee, like a fall or blow.
• Misalignment. If any of the bones are slightly out of their correct position -- or imbalanced -- physical stress won't be evenly distributed through your body. Certain parts of your body may bear too much weight. This can cause pain and damage to the joints. Sometimes, the kneecap itself is slightly out of position.
• Problems with the feet. Runner's knee can result from flat feet, also called fallen arches or overpronation. This is a condition in which the impact of a step causes the arches of your foot to collapse, stretching the muscles and tendons.
• Weak thigh muscles.

Runner's knee is also called patellofemoral pain syndrome.

What Does Runner's Knee Feel Like?

Symptoms of runner's knee are:

• Pain behind or around the kneecap, especially where the thighbone and the kneecap meet
• Pain when you bend the knee -- when walking, squatting, kneeling, running, or even sitting
• Pain that's worse when walking downstairs or downhill
• Swelling
• Popping or grinding sensations in the knee

Fitworks Corrective Therapy has been successful in helping clients relieve runner’s knee pain because of musculoskeletal imbalances naturally without surgery or pain pills. By building and stretching the muscles the imbalances go away as well as the pain.  Give Fitworks Corrective Therapy a call today to get a free posture evaluation and discover what is causing you pain.

Resources: WebMD

Gary Rumel, Corrective Therapist

Fitworks Corrective Therapy

www.fitworksutah.com

The Truth About Back Pain

The Truth About Back Pain

It might be a sharp stab. It might be a dull ache. Sooner or later, eight out of 10 of us will have back pain. Back pain is common -- and so are back pain myths.

Myth: Always Sit Up Straight

Okay, slouching is bad for your back. But sitting up too straight and still for long periods can also be a strain on the back. If you sit a lot, try this a few times a day: Lean back in your chair with your feet on the floor and a slight curve in your back. Even better: Try standing for part of the day, while on the phone or while reading work materials.

Myth: Don't Lift Heavy Objects

It's not necessarily how much you lift, it's how you lift. Of course you shouldn't lift anything that might be too heavy for you. When you lift, squat close to the object with your back straight and head up. Stand, using your legs to lift the load. Do not twist or bend your body while lifting or you may hurt your back.

Myth: Bed Rest Is the Best Cure

Yes, resting can help an acute injury or strain that causes back pain. But it's a myth that you should stay in bed. A day or two in bed can make your back pain worse.

Myth: Pain Is Caused by Injury

Disc degeneration, injuries, diseases, inherited conditions and even muskeletol imbalances can cause back pain.

Fact: More Pounds, More Pain

Staying fit helps prevent back pain. Back pain is most common among people who are out of shape, especially weekend warriors who engage in vigorous activity after sitting around all week. And as you might guess, obesity stresses the back.

Myth: Skinny Means Pain-Free

Anyone can get back pain. In fact, people who are too thin, such as those suffering from anorexia, an eating disorder, may suffer bone loss resulting in fractured or crushed vertebrae.

Myth: Exercise Is Bad for Back Pain

A big myth. Regular exercise prevents back pain. And for people suffering an acute injury resulting in lower back pain, doctors may recommend an exercise program that begins with gentle exercises and gradually increases in intensity. Once the acute pain subsides, an exercise regimen may help prevent future recurrence of back pain.

Myth: Firmer Mattresses Are Better

A Spanish study of people with longstanding, non-specific back pain showed that those who slept on a medium-firm mattress -- rated 5.6 on a 10-point hard-to-soft scale -- had less back pain and disability than those who slept on a firm mattress (2.3 on the scale) mattress. However, depending on their sleep habits and the cause of their back pain, different people may need different mattresses.

Fact:  Corrective Therapy

Fitworks Correct Therapy is a natural, risk-free solution to back pain. The Fitworks technique is not just a pain management program, it's a pain elimination program, designed to improve posture, increase flexibility and loosen muscle tissue, resulting in overall superior health. Even the severest of muscular or skeletal problems can have immediate relief, such as: bulging or herniated disc; neck, back, hip, knee, or ankle pain; scoliosis; kyphosis; lordosis  These painful conditions and more can be treated and have relief within weeks of training therapy, rather than with pain medications, body braces and surgery. After working with hundreds of patients, Fitworks continues to be a safe, effective and long-lasting solution to neck, back, joint and muscle pain across the spectrum.

Information gathered from http://www.medicinenet.com

Gary Rumel, Corrective Therapist

FitworksCorrective Therapy

www.fitworksutah.com