Back to basics: Good posture

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Arlington resident Michael Jackson avoided back surgery by changing his posture and standing up straighter.

The 41-year-old tried acupuncture, yoga and chiropractic for a herniated disk in his lower back. It was the treatment of chiropractor Kevin Maggs that ended three years of pain caused by poor posture, prolonged sitting and improper exercising, he says.

"I'm pretty much in a position where the pain is subsided, and I can deal with it as long as I continue to do my exercises," Mr. Jackson says. "I know if I don't do it, my back will start hurting again."

Poor posture -- such as slouching, rounding the shoulders or holding the head too far forward --can result from an acute injury such as whiplash, a sedentary lifestyle, occupational demands, aging, and unbalanced exercising that focuses too heavily on one part of the body, metro-area physical therapists, chiropractors and orthopedic surgeons say.

A person's genetic makeup, bone growth pattern or having sclerosis or osteoporosis can give the appearance of poor posture but may not cause postural problems, they say.

The professionals give tips for improving posture while defining what makes for good and poor posture.

"You want to be aware of your posture. It's a conscious habit like anything else," says Bruce Nordstrom, chiropractor and owner of Downtown Chiropractic in Northwest.

About 85 percent of Americans develop back pain and seek a physician's assistance during their lifetimes, says Dr. Wiemi Douoguih, coordinator of sports medicine services at the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Washington Hospital Center in Northwest. He serves as a consultant for the University of Maryland athletic teams and the Baltimore Ravens football team.

"It's difficult to link poor posture and back pain," Dr. Douoguih says. "The biggest issue is if it is associated with pain and if it's different from what your usual posture is."

Posture comes, in part, from how the spine sits. The spine consists of a series of bones stacked on top of one another -- seven cervical bones in the neck, 12 thoracic bones in the upper and midback and five lumbar bones in the low back. They are separated by flexible pads called disks and a pair of facet joints that help control movement.