Your Spinal Contour And Good Posture

Spinal contour

Either you are sitting, standing, working, sleeping or relaxing; your back spine is most comfortable in what is called a neutral posture. The neutral posture is a position about halfway between full bending and arching.

Your neutral back spine has three natural curves: the inward curve at the neck (cervical lordosis), the outward curve at the upper back (thoracic kyphosis), and finally the inward curve at the low back (lumbar lordosis).

The neutral spinal curves differ in shape from person to person. Neutral spinal curves can change for the better with exercise and training; And sometimes for the worse with injury, aging, poor posture habits or a disease.

The amount of curving in your spine when you are in a neutral posture determines your support needs. A spinal support product should be deep enough to support your particular curves without pushing beyond your neutral postures. Meaning it should feel natural and not too arched; you should also feel supported; meaning there must not be a gap between you and the support.

Good posture

Time and again some people still have back pain while sitting with a back support. That is because there are three main components to back spinal pain: movement, load & Posture. Movement refers to the effect of excessive or inadequate motion on the body's circulatory and neuro-musculo-skeletal system; Load is the weight one puts through ones back spine; Posture refers to the curve of the back spine.

Unfortunately not everybody can avoid back and neck symptoms by correcting their posture. Cushions can only improve one's Posture, not necessary take away all the pain.

If you show signs of any of the following symptoms, you might need more than good posture support from your spinal care product.

1) Impaired tolerance for upright postures (weight-bearing loss)

2) Inability to stay in one posture, even a good neutral posture, for prolonged periods of time (constrained posture intolerance)

3) Discomfort when furniture or supports come in contact with your body (pressure intolerance)

If a good posture can reduce or help you to control your back or neck symptoms, a trained product consultant can help you find the best product fit. If a good posture can not do that, you should talk to your health care practitioner or look for additional evaluation and assistance from a physical therapist. In some cases, a comprehensive fitting evaluation might be necessary.