Tips for Healthy Spines

            Postural Habits for Good Spinal Health

The body is as young as the spine is flexible - an old yogic mantra.

Last week I participated in a webinar on posture and although I didn’t learn anything too revolutionary or new, it was the little tweaks in knowledge that made me happy.

Especially important to us is preventing the progressive emergence of hyperkyphosis (the rounding of our thoracic spine) after the age of 40. Hyperkyphosis can lead to degenerative disc disease, lung and breathing problems, balance issues, poor movement patterns and joint pain due to muscle imbalances. Here are a few tips on how to maintain a healthy spine:

Our spinal health, manifested by a long erect spine, depends on good daily postural habits, specifically how we manage three horizontal areas: 

Ribcage:  if your habit is to lift your chest, you’ll have a swayback.

Shoulder girdle:  if you routinely let your shoulder blades wing out and you carry your upper arms forward, your upper back will round.

Head:  if you lift your chin and poke it forward, your upper back will round more, and the rounding will be close to your neck. This is the habit that helps create a dowager’s hump (hyperkyphosis).

 New recommended postural habits:  carry your upper arms further back than you used to (shoulder blades together), and lift the back of your skull to keep your chin back and slightly down, not protruding forward. Make it a habit to take your weight into your heels when you stand and keep your abdominals engaged. Feel how long and erect your spine is when you put all these together. Now you have the foundation to create a long, erect spine.

Since these are new postural habits, we have to consciously remember them.  It takes about 60 days of diligent daily practice to reliably form a new habit.