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· Arousal · Hearing · Posture · Sleep · Vision
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The Cause of Internet and TV Addiction? www.causeof.org |
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Posture
· Common Postural Deficiencies · Finding a Good Sitting Position · Tips
Note #1: If you attempt the exercise 'Lever Hip Flexion', referred to in the following link, make sure you wear the proper clothing. It is not uncommon for people to split their pants while doing this exercise. Note #2: I think there may be mistake in the instructions for the 'seated glute stretch' in the section 'Posterior Pelvic Tilt'. The instructions say that you should place one hand on top of inside of knee. But I think that this should say that you should pull the knee up. · ExRx.net: Common Postural Deficiencies
"The recommendation that computer monitors be placed at or slightly below eye-level is based in part on the belief that the “normal line of sight,” considered to be the resting point of the eyes, is 15° below the horizontal when the head is upright. A statement to that effect appears first in an engineering handbook published in 1963 (Morgan et al., 1963). No references were provided and a conversation with one of the authors of the chapter (Orlansky, 1994) could not determine a basis for the statement. It was confirmed that it did not result from laboratory or field studies. Eye-level monitor placement has developed as a guideline despite little or no evidence to support it, and despite the discomfort that persists with this" A Challenge to Eye-Level, Perpendicular-to-Gaze, Monitor Placement (PDF, 115 KB)
Finding a Good Sitting Position · "Sit at the end of your chair and slouch completely. · Draw yourself up and accentuate the curve of your back as far as possible. Hold for a few seconds. · Release the position slightly (about 10 degrees). This is a good sitting posture. · Distribute your body weight evenly on both hips. · Keep your hips and knees at a right angle (use a foot rest or stool if necessary). Your legs should not be crossed and your feet should be flat on the floor. · Try to avoid sitting in the same position for more than 30 minutes. · At work, adjust your chair height and workstation so you can sit up close to your work. Rest your elbows and arms on your chair or desk, keeping your shoulders relaxed. · When sitting in a chair that rolls and pivots, don't twist at the waist while sitting. Instead, turn your whole body. · When standing up from the sitting position, move to the front of the seat of your chair. Stand up by straightening your legs. Avoid bending forward at your waist. Immediately stretch your back by doing 10 standing backbends." Maintaining Proper Body Mechanics
"Neck muscle strain may be due to: ·
Forward head posture. ·
Sleeping on a pillow that's too high, too flat, or doesn't
support your head. ·
Sleeping on your stomach or with the neck twisted or bent. ·
Extended periods of the 'thinker's pose' (resting your chin on
your upright fist or arm). ·
Watching TV or reading lying down with the neck in an awkward
position. ·
Stress. ·
A workstation that puts the neck in an awkward position. ·
Other pressures on the neck muscles. ·
Injury that causes sudden movement of the head and neck (whiplash) or a
direct blow to the neck. ·
Strenuous activity with the upper body and arms. · Meningitis is a serious illness that causes a severe stiff neck with headache and fever…" Kaiser
Permanente Healthwise Handbook: Back and Neck Problems · ergocise.com: Pinpoint your Pain
• "anatomical misalignment of the lower extremities • imbalances in the leg muscles (the quadriceps and hamstrings) • weakened abdominal muscles Hip injuries: Snapping hip syndrome (tight iliotibial band) (PDF, 2.96 MB)
The article Take Control of Your Posture recommends using a small lumbar roll for lower back support. I recently bought a backrest, which is larger than a lumbar roll. I believe that using the backrest has increased my orienting response. However, the backrest I bought is somewhat large. I'm considering buying a small lumbar roll as the article recommended. The following page contains a list of chair cushion accessories. Epinions.com: Chair Cushion Accessories "The lower back, or lumbar region, is the most important area from the standpoint of posture. Since we (homo sapiens) stand and walk erect, the lumbar region must support the entire weight of our upper body (the torso) and the head and arms. It also must support most of the load when we work. Improper alignment, weakened muscles, unhealthy joints, or compressed (squashed) disks will usually result in lower back problems and pain, conditions that severely restrict or reduce the quality of life." Suite101.com: I Am Your
Back. Treat Me Right.
Helpful Exercises The following link contains information about extension exercises such as backward bends, which is mentioned in the section Finding a Good Sitting Position Exercises to reduce low back pain
Preventative/Corrective Exercises · Cable Row (with spinal articulation)
"Some exercises can aggravate your back pain. Avoid these exercises:
WebMD: Exercises to reduce low back pain
"A muscular imbalance between the abdominals and the low back can cause an arched lower back. The abdominal muscles are the dominant force pulling a weak low back into an arched position. When exercising, a common mistake is to overwork the abdominal muscles and put less importance on strengthening the low back. Incorporate both abdominal and low back strengthening exercises into your exercise routine." "Guidelines to help make sure that your office chair and work area is as comfortable as possible and causes the least amount of stress to your spine: " Reducing back pain while sitting in office chairs
· "Your legs and your back should be at a 90-degree angle. · Your seat pan should extend about 1 inch on either side of your legs and should not cause any significant pressure to the back of your knees. · Your weight should be evenly distributed and your buttocks, your hips and your knees should be at about a 90-degree or 'L' angle. · The surface of the computer chair seat should be flat. · Always sit with your knees lower than your hips. · Always try to slightly recline the computer chair since reclining will ease pressure off your lower back." build-your-own-cheap-computer.com: Selecting a Cheap Computer Chair
'Hitchhiker' Exercise In the book 'Posture, Get it Straight!' Janice Novak recommends sleeping on your back if you have rounded shoulders. She also recommends an exercise called the 'hitchhiker'. "There is a whole chapter in my book about how to straighten rounded shoulders. I am tall too and had really bad posture when I was younger - probably because I was trying to be the same height as my friends. So straightening shoulders has been a pet project of mine. And you know what? It is not that difficult to do. There is an exercise called the hitchhiker that instantly re-aligns all the joints in the shoulders." Posture, Get it Straight! by Janice Novak, MA
"Rounded shoulders can restrict rib cage expansion. Standing straight and placing your shoulders back will help improve breathing."
"Rounded shoulders can be improved by remembering to pull your shoulders back and by performing back strengthening exercises, such as reverse flys and wide arm, upper back rows." Reverse Flys (seated position) Note: For the following exercise 'Upper Back Rows' it is important to keep the elbows slightly bent in order to exercise the back effectively. ·
ExRx.net:
Common Postural Deficiencies: Protracted Shoulder Girdle "Posture is
not simply what happens when you are sitting or standing still. It's also
dynamic and involves the way you hold your body when you move. Poor posture
may include many elements: ·
rounded shoulders, ·
protruding buttocks and abdomen,
and ·
an overly arched lower back; · often the head is pushed forward into an exaggerated position." IndoIndians.com: Posture Perfect "Poor posture extracts a high price as you
age because it can: ·
Limit your range of motion - muscles can be permanently shortened or
stretched when a slumped over position becomes your normal position [muscular
imbalances]. Muscles and ligaments that have been shortened or stretched
no longer function as they should. ·
Increase discomfort and pain - it can often cause headaches and pain
in the shoulders, arms, hands and around the eyes resulting from a
forward-head position. Rounded shoulders can trigger the headaches at
the base of your skull where the shoulder muscles attach. ·
Create pain in the jaw - a forward-head position can lead to
jaw pain. This kind of pain (known as TMJ, temporomandibular joint
disease) was once considered only a dental problem. Today we know that TMJ
pain also may be caused or aggravated by faulty posture. ·
Decrease lung capacity - reducing the amount of oxygen in your
body can decrease the space in your chest cavity, restricting efficient
functioning of your lungs. ·
Cause low back pain - one of the most common consequences of
bad posture. For people over 35, low back pain is often interpreted as a sure
sign of age, although it may have been developing since childhood. ·
Cause nerve interference - your spine is the basis of posture.
If your posture is bad, your spine can be misaligned. Spinal misalignments
may cause interference in nerve function. ·
Affect proper bowel function - even this important bodily task
may be affected by faulty posture. If you have a rounded shoulder,
head-forward posture, it may affect your bowels. If your spine arches and
sways forward, your intestines may sag and cause constipation. ·
Make you look older than you are - when you are slumped over, or hunched
over, not standing straight, you can add years to your appearance. For women,
the more rounded the shoulders, the more breasts may sag. Any woman, no
matter what her age, can help reduce the sag in her breasts by nearly 50% by
simply standing tall." International
Chiropractors Association: Perfect Posture Guide Rugs, Floor Mats Rugs or floor mats can reduce slouching by preventing feet, or tilting footrests, from sliding.
Benefits I consider a tilting footrest to be invaluable. It can reduce leg tension and neck tension, and can also reduce pressure on your lower back. Some of them are expensive, but I was able to buy one on sale at a local office supply store for $4.50 (USA).
If your footrest is too high, or your chair is too low, you may be tempted to lean back in your chair. Over time, leaning back can cause pain and discomfort.
Muscle Tension "The external rotators…can easily become chronically tight, especially if the opposing muscles (the two inner hamstrings and, in some positions, the adductors of the inner thigh) are not strong enough to hold the legs in neutral rotation." Yoga Journal: The Gripping Truth
Knee Pain "Muscle tightness or weakness of the quadriceps, hamstrings, gastrosoleus complex, adductors, and other pelvic stabilizing muscles may contribute to knee pain via abnormal biomechanics."
Exercises Without Using Exercise Machines
Using Exercise Machines The following link contains information about exercises for the hip adductors.
The hamstring muscles are the muscles in the back of the knee and thigh that bend the knee.
Lower Back Pain "Another cause of low back pain is weak hamstring muscles..." Hip injuries: Snapping hip syndrome (tight iliotibial band) (PDF, 2.96 MB)
Lower Back, Pelvis Misalignment "A common mistake…is spending less time strengthening the hamstringmuscle group, the muscles that oppose the quadriceps[front leg]. Weak hamstrings can cause misalignment of the pelvis and low back." Hip injuries: Snapping hip syndrome (tight iliotibial band) (PDF, 2.96 MB)
"Maintain good knee strength and flexibility and warm up before activities. The hamstring stretch and the knee-to-chest exercise are examples of exercises you can do to strengthen and stretch the leg muscles, especially the muscles in the thigh (quadriceps and hamstring)." Knee Problems and Injuries: Prevention
Without Exercise Machines
With Exercise Machines
Knee Injuries "The most effective way to prevent knee injuries is to exercise and strengthen the muscles surrounding the knee (the quadriceps [front leg] and hamstring muscles) to ensure joint stability and muscle balance. Always start any strengthening program gradually. At the first indication of pain in the knee area, stop the exercise. Exercising too hard can seriously damage the knees." Hip injuries: Snapping hip syndrome (tight iliotibial band) (PDF, 2.96 MB)
"Performing a proper warm-up and stretching before activity can also help prevent any type of knee injury, and help ensure both lubrication of the joint and balanced muscle function..." Hip injuries: Snapping hip syndrome (tight iliotibial band) (PDF, 2.96 MB)
"Finally, orthotics or postural correction may be useful for some individuals to ensure that forces are properly distributed through the knee and that they do not generate undue stress at one location in the joint." Hip injuries: Snapping hip syndrome (tight iliotibial band) (PDF, 2.96 MB)
"Hamstrings WeaknessIncreased risk of knee injury (instability) during knee extension activities, specifically when knees are flexed lower than 90°. Hamstrings / Quadriceps strength ratios should be greater than 56% to 80% depending on the population tested…"
ExRx.net: Common Muscular Weaknesses
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