We might not notice that we have a terrible posture until it’s too late; our backs have curved, and our heads are tilting forward while we work each day. Also, another part of our spine can get stressed from all the pressure: the lumbar.
But right before we delve into other things, let’s know what a lumbar is. It is a part of your spine located at the lower back portion that’s close to your stomach. The lumbar is comprised of five levels, with each being a “block” of your spine.
A majority of people who work in white-collar jobs tend to have a problem with their lumbar. Why is this so? Usually, the lower portion of the spine is more susceptible when we’re making a backward-and-forward motion that stresses out this part of the spine. Since most of our weight is shifted towards this area, there’s a higher risk of injuring it as time goes by.
Supporting Your Lumbar
If we look at X-ray scans of our body, we can see that our body and back will have natural curves. But we often have physically vigorous activities and the poor posture that we subject ourselves to when we’re doing office work. Not only do these impact the functions of our lower back, but they can also cause pressure and stress to build up. In some cases, some conditions can contribute to weak support of the lumbar, such as weak abdominal muscles, which can cause the lumbar to deteriorate as you grow older.
If this is the case, what are some excellent ways of protecting our lumbar from too much pressure?
Avoid Slouching
It’s quite common that workers will slouch when they’re working. Sitting up straight will relieve stress and pressure on your lumbar. If needed, you can place a lumbar supporting pillow in on your lower back, which can catch most of the weight.
Often, we can’t deny that we have to look down at our desktop or laptop’s screen when we’re working. Elevating the screen to be at the same horizontal level as your head means that you will have to look straight in front of you rather than looking down. That will place less stress on your cervical vertebrae, which is the uppermost part of your spinal cord.
Spice Up Your Office
Are you tired of sitting on the same chair every time you come to the office? You can always spice up your office set up by sitting on yoga or simply standing while you’re working on your workstation.
While it might sound silly to be working while you’re on a yoga ball or doing some stretching exercises in the office, that is better than having to spend more on correcting your posture.
Lumbar Support
One of the effective ways of supporting your lumbar is with the necessary equipment. There are a wide variety of supports that are tailored for your posture. Some chairs are designed that usually range from half rolls to full rolls. Some pillows are also explicitly tailored towards relieving back paints through molded frames that have lateral and lower back support. There’s a wide variety of supporting equipment that is available in the market.
Professional Help
One of the best ways to correct your posture is through professional advice and supervision. While it’s a good idea to look for equipment and methods in correcting your posture, building up a network of support can help remind you of your position.
Most of the time, bad posture is not necessarily caused by something physical, but a psychological phenomenon causes it. When we are not conscious of our body image, we go into an auto-pilot mode, and we are not aware of our posture since it’s ingrained in our muscle’s memories. As such, we tend to slouch if we’re not mindful. When we have an expert and a network that’s constantly reminding us of having an upright posture, then we can slowly break the habit of slouching.
Of course, there are other ways of correcting posture. If the condition needs medical attention, then some experts can provide procedures such as non-surgical scoliosis correction and posture correctional exercises.
Our lumbar, together with the rest of our spine, is one of the essential parts of our body. Breaking a bad habit and keeping a good posture might seem like a tall order, but it is possible. With the right professionals and support, anything can be achievable.
Just like a well-oiled machine, our body can function better if we take care of every part of it. Not only will good posture help with how our body functions, but it will also make us more efficient in our day-to-day activities.