Good posture can help alleviate back pain

If you’re like most people, you’ve experienced lower back pain at some time.

But there is good news. In many cases, you can do something about it by improving the way you stand and sit.

“Your posture is the position that you hold your body in, and any posture that puts undue stress on another part of your body is considered bad,” said Dr. Bryan Ghiloni, a sports-medicine physician for Mount Carmel Medical Group in New Albany.

The back pain can spread through the rest of the body as muscles start to compensate, he said. “ You have to use muscles now that you weren’t having to use before, putting pressure on places you didn’t have pressure before.”

One way that can manifest in men is a beer belly, which puts more pressure on the lumbar spine when core muscles aren’t strong enough to support it.

Core muscles are in your back, pelvis and abdominal area — basically everywhere from the bottom of your rib cage down to your pelvis and around your hips. A stronger core can be essential to the most-basic human activities such as walking pain-free with proper posture.

As men age and their abdominal muscles weaken, their posture and spine might suffer, said Dr. Ken Nguyen of the Ohio State University Comprehensive Spine Center.

“It starts stressing the lower back and putting it in worse alignment,” he said. “It worsens people’s lumbar lordosis ... an excessive curvature of the lower spine that accelerates the disintegration of the lumbar disc.”

This extra stress can cause back and neck pain, especially in people who sit all day. Strengthening the muscles that control posture through yoga, pilates, swimming or even stretching will help maintain proper alignment and posture, experts say.

“They’re really delicate muscles that control posture. You don’t need to lift heavy weights to strengthen them,” Nguyen said.

Posture problems can cause back pain as early as adolescence.

“It’s not like if you have bad posture you’re going to end up with back pain,” said Dr. Walter Samora, an orthopedic specialist with Nationwide Children’s Hospital. “But if you have back pain, then posture probably plays a part.”

Preventative measures can save patients thousands of dollars in medical bills down the road, though most people think of medical care as an option only after they’re in pain.

“It is a mindset that is changing, and the good news is that the studies are supporting it,” said Jeffrey Covault of Columbus Chiropractic Center West. “So now, it’s just getting the insurance companies to support it, too.”

He said one way to improve posture, especially for those who work in cubicles, is to take frequent breaks to stand, stretch and walk around.

“Get up as often as you can without getting fired,” Covault said.

Popping pain meds and “pushing through it” only mask the problem.

“It’s like seeing a fire and just turning off the smoke alarm,” Covault said.

kmartini@dispatch.com

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