Have you ever heard the term, “spineless?” It usually refers to people who don’t act within their own personal integrity. Thankfully, that’s not a literal term — we all do have spines. Unless, of course, you’ve been cursed by the Harry Potter spell, Ossio Dispersimus which has the ability to dissolve bones. Since that’s unlikely (not to mention fictional), we’ll discuss the posture of the spine and how it relates to our own physical integrity. Whether or not you have pain and are looking for relief, you’ll grab a few new tips and ideas below. And, by the way, if your spine is tingly … that’s probably not a good thing.
For most people with fibromyalgia and other chronic pain illnesses, expression of pain is focused in three main areas: the skeletal structure, the muscles/tendons, and the joints. This article focuses on the skeletal structure of things, and in particular, the spine.
Proper body alignment can go a long way toward alleviating pain (among other benefits). But do you still ignore this fact?
Do You …
Stand in alignment?
Sit in alignment?
Do your fitness movements and stretches in alignment?
Me neither.
That’s why I’m reading Shoosh Crotzer’s amazing book, Yoga for Fibromyalgia (more on this in a future post). I’m enjoying the book quite a bit and am learning more about form, function, and fibromyalgia.
It’s common for those dealing with chronic pain challenges to hold themselves in compromised positions. Check out this article on Forward Head Posture and Fibromyalgia.
Perhaps you didn’t grow up with the posture police following you around every day. I sure didn’t. Although they do it in the movies, I never had a school principal or teacher say, “Stand up and put your shoulders back.” In fact, for the majority of my life, I wasn’t aware of the devastating impact of poor posture. I’m super short, after all, so why not slump?
Standing up straight is more than just an attempt to look taller; it provides improved communication pathways up and down the spine. Want your nerves to communicate better? Stand up straight. Want to breathe better? Stand up straight. Want your pain receptors to calm down? Stand up straight.
Proper posture allows the body
to do what it does best
– problem solve.
The body is an amazing machine at adapting to problems and looking for solutions that lead to healing. You may be surprised to learn that the following benefits can be experienced simply by better posture:
1) Ease pain
2) Increase energy
3) Improve digestion
4) Improve circulation
5) Improve hormonal balance
6) Improve occurrence of headaches and migraines
7) Improve mental clarity
If that list surprises you, you’ll find the following sentence downright shocking. Improved posture can even help with your positivity, happiness levels, confidence, stress-relief, memory, and ability to make healthy decisions. To read more – check out this article on The Science of Posture.
So now that you know posture is important and something you want to pay attention to, you’ll want to know if you’re “doing it right.” Check out this link and scroll down the page just a bit to see the Ergonomic Posture Check chart provided.
Recently, we discussed the ramifications of posture in another post. You can re-visit this Surprising Health Risks of Sitting post here.
Would you like some simple exercises to help with pain? Learn these simple tips on using a foam roller for back pain relief here – Pain Hotspots.
I hope this information starts you on your way to reduce your pain and improve your healing factor. Do you have posture tips to share with this community? Please jump into the conversation below! 
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