Back and neck pain is endemic in our schools and workplaces. It’s everywhere! Why? Simply because we sit too much and move too little. And when we sit, we generally sit poorly. Let’s begin by understanding the spine’s preferred position.

Let’s understand how the spine is designed to function . . .

When you stand upright your spine does not stand upon a level base. For example when I am building a house I want to begin stacking the bricks upon a dead-flat foundation. I will even use a spirit level to make sure it is flat before beginning. We can easily imagine the spinal vertebrae as a stack of bricks sitting upon our pelvis, but it doesn’t work like that.

Your pelvis is the foundation for your spine and when you sit or stand with good posture you will notice that your pelvis is actually tilted forward. So if you observe someone from side-on, who is standing or sitting with good posture you will notice that their pelvis is tilted forward. In other words the base of your spine begins on a forward tilt. This observation is the single biggest difference between good posture and pain relief and poor posture and pain.

Check out the picture of our friend on a computer . . .

Observe our friend on the right who is sitting well. Look closely at the very lowest vertebra and you will notice that it is on a forward tilt. This is because his pelvis is tilted ‘forward’. In other words he is allowing his tummy to fall forward and his lower back to ‘hollow’; he is tilting his pelvis forward. Whether you are sitting or standing right now – try it! You can exaggerate the movement just to get the idea.

Now observe our friend on the left who is sitting poorly. Look closely at the very lowest vertebra and you will notice that it is not tilted forward as much but closer to horizontal. This is because his pelvis has ‘rolled’ backwards. In other words his tummy has been sucked in and his lower back has protruded out. The shape of the lower spine has reversed. He is ‘rolling’ his pelvis backwards. Whether you are sitting or standing right now – try it! You can exaggerate the movement just to get the idea.

You can change your foundation for the better . . .

When the pelvis rolls backwards it changes the angle of the first foundational vertebra. Now guess what? When you change the foundation the whole spine changes. So our friend on the right with a healthy forward tilt on the pelvis has three healthy curves in his spine from top to bottom, and his head efficiently remains directly above his hips. Our friend on the left however, who has his pelvis ‘rolled backwards’ has eliminated the three healthy curves creating one big C-shaped curve and thrown his head forward of his hips.

So THE MOST IMPORTANT key to good sitting or standing posture is the angle of the pelvis. Check out the next article to learn some solutions.

 

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– Tim