Column Lower Back Pain and The Improvement of Your Posture: Prevent Pain with The Correct Posture
June 06, 2025
There are various causes to low back pain, one of which being one’s daily posture.
In this article, we will discuss lower back pain and postural improvement.
Strain on the lower back
Dr. Nachemson , a Swedish orthopedic surgeon (*1), investigated how much strain is placed on the intervertebral discs in various conditions.
Setting the load in a straight standing position as 100, the results were as follows:
・Standing straight up: 100
・Lying on the back: 25
・Lying on the side: 75
・Standing with one’s upper body slightly tilted forward (semi-crouched): 150
・Holding an object in a semi-crouched position: 220
・Sitting in a chair or similar: 140
・Bending forward while sitting on a chair or similar: 185
・Bending forward while sitting on a chair or similar: 275
This shows that “bending forward,” “holding an object,” and “sitting” are the respective postures that are most likely to put strain on the lower back.
The more strain on the lower back, the more likely it is for the discs to age prematurely, and the more likely it becomes to develop spinal disorders such as lumbar disc herniation, which is associated with lower back pain.
(＊1) Source: Nachemson, A. L. The Lumbar Spine: An Orthopaedic Challenge. Spine, 1(1), 1976.
Pay attention to unbalanced postures that may lead to lower back pain.
An unbalanced posture may eventually lead to lower back pain. Body misalignment or twisting back and forth or from side to side can cause excessive strain on parts of the body, increasing the likelihood of back pain.
Hunchback position
Sitting in a hunched position with the head leaning forward puts a great deal of strain on the lower back in order to counterbalance the weight of the head.
Sitting with legs crossed
Sitting cross-legged changes the height of the pelvis from side to side, which places a greater burden on the lower back. If a person who already has lower back pain sits with crossed legs, the lower back tends to become rounded, causing the lower back pain to deteriorate further.
Standing with the center of gravity shifted to one side
Standing with the center of gravity on the left or right side can also cause lower back pain. The strain on the back of the person is greater on the side on which the center of gravity is shifted, resulting in pain.
The correct Posture
Standing posture
The correct standing posture is to stand up straight. The ideal posture is when you tuck your chin and stomach in, and when viewed from the side, the lines connecting your outer ankles-greater trochanter-shoulders-ears form a single line, while when viewed from the front, your posture is symmetrically centered between the legs on the line connecting your nose-sternum-navel-feet.
Sitting posture
Sit deeply in a chair and straighten your back. The hips and thighs, as well as the thighs and knees, should be almost perpendicular to each other, and the entire soles of the feet should be on the floor. This constitutes a low-stress sitting posture.
Some ways to Improve one’s posture
Stretching
Stretching relaxes the muscles that have a tendency to become stiff and improves flexibility. It also prevents sitting in a hunchback and improves posture.
It is very important to stretch the muscles slowly and gently.
Strength Training
Strengthening the muscles of the back and abdomen is also essential to maintaining a good posture.
Muscle training helps to strengthen and balance your muscles.
Points to keep in mind on a daily basis
To maintain good posture and prevent back pain, it is also important to strive to improve one’s lifestyle on a daily basis.
In addition to the correct way to sit and stand, you should also be careful in your daily life to hold heavy loads evenly with both hands and sleep on a pillow or mattress that fits you.
A balanced diet is also a must. Foods with anti-inflammatory properties (fatty fish, green and yellow vegetables, berries, nuts, olive oil, etc.) reduce muscle and joint inflammation, while foods rich in calcium and vitamin D (dairy products, small fish, seaweed, mushrooms, eggs, etc.) support bone and muscle health. Add to this the importance of proper fluid intake.
Treatment at our clinic
When you have lower back pain, it is sometimes necessary to address the underlying cause of the pain in a fundamental manner.
Our clinic offers the Cellgel method, a treatment that repairs intervertebral discs that have been damaged.
With our Cellgel Method, we inject a drug that fills in the cracks in the disc, which then forms a gel that repairs the cracks, thus providing a fundamental treatment. It is characterized by the fact that the volume of the disc is not reduced and the drug remains in the disc as a gel-like implant after treatment, thus preserving the disc.
If you are suffering from back pain, please consider a consultation at our clinic.
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