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Could Better Posture Cure Your Back Pain?

If you suffer from chronic back pain – you know, the kind that makes it hard to get comfortable sleeping, or standing, or even just sitting – new research may be able to cure you of your pain, naturally. An acupuncturist and “posture guru” says that bad posture could be the cause of many back pain sufferers. To relieve your pain, says the guru, all you need to do is stand up straighter.

The Research

Esther Gokhale spent years researching the postures and spines of people all over the world. According to her findings, indigenous people in less primitive countries do not experience the kind of back pain that is so common in modern society. In fact, it is virtually nonexistent. Gokhale set out to find out why, and all signs pointed to the “regal posture” of people living in the small villages of Brazil, West Africa, Portugal, and India.

S-Shaped Spines vs. J-Shaped Spines

The S-shape of our spines is what we consider to be normal, but Gokhale suggest that we should try to stand more like Greek statues, thus promoting a J-shaped spine. According to Gokhale, if you just fix your sitting and standing posture, you will “reposition and reshape your shoulders, arms, neck, torso, pelvis, hips, legs, and feet the way they were designed to be.” How can we do this? She recommends a series of exercises to help people fix their spines, that can be downloaded free from her website.

Although there is no scientific evidence to back up the acupuncturist’s claim that bad posture correlates to chronic back pain, many experts agree that the modern American lifestyle certainly contributes to our poor posture and backaches. Statistically speaking, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle create weaker abdominal muscles, which most likely pulls your back forward causing – you guessed it – poor posture.

While standing like a Greek statue may not cure your back pain, it certainly can’t hurt. AC Spine & Wellness Center, an advocate of good posture, recommends that you get regular spinal adjustments, as well as proper exercise for optimal spinal health. You can click here to make an appointment for a free consultation, or click here, to find out more about our comprehensive services and techniques.

Author
Dr. Jeanette Altieri Dr. Jeanette Altieri is a licensed Chiropractor serving the Lawrenceville community for more than 20 years.She is certified in the Webster technique, a safe and gentle technique for turning breech babies, with specialty areas in Nutrition, Pediatrics, and Pregnancy. She is an international speaker, speaking to chiropractors, their families and staff about the care of infants, children, pregnancy and motivation. She also co-hosted a local radio talk show, “Health Talk,” to help educate people on the benefits of alternative therapies and wellness.

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