How to Straighten Your Back

A curved or hunched back can lead to painful conditions that progressively worsen with time. Effortfully maintaining a straight back will help ease symptoms as you grow older.

Understand what a proper posture looks like. The first step in improving your posture is recognizing what proper posture looks like for you. Keep your shoulders back, engage your core, and open your chest. Stand in front of a mirror and check if you can create a straight line from your earlobe to your shoulder, hip, knee, and finally, the center of your ankle.

• Head and Neck: Ensure your head extends directly from your shoulders. Many people tend to jut their heads forward. If your ears align with the front of your chest, pull your head back.
• Shoulders, Arms, and Hands: Your arms and hands should hang relaxed at your sides, with your shoulders in a good position. If your arms are swinging forward towards your chest, pull your shoulders back.
• Hips: Find a comfortable middle position between pushing your hips too far forward or backward.

Identify pain and discomfort. The most obvious signs of incorrect posture are pain in the back, shoulders, and neck. Poor posture causes the chest muscles to contract, while the upper back muscles stretch to compensate. As a result, the back muscles become weakened, leading to muscle pain and discomfort. Since all muscles need to work together, when one group of muscles is not functioning properly, other muscles will be affected as well.

• Not everyone feels pain or discomfort when their posture is off. Our bodies have a remarkable ability to adjust and compensate.

Check if your feet are 'rolling in'. This condition, where the soles of the feet are almost completely flat, is often called 'flat feet.' The feet are the lowest mechanism for maintaining balance in the body. When you stand with poor posture, you put pressure on your feet, causing them to work harder to maintain balance. This makes your feet become 'flat' in an attempt to form a more stable structure. As posture improves, most of the body weight shifts to the heels, freeing up the rest and maintaining the arch of the foot.

• Although 'flat feet' are a sign of poor standing posture, you may also experience pain in your feet, ankles, calves, knees, hips, and the lower legs in general.

Evaluate your mood. San Francisco State University conducted a study where students were asked to walk through a hallway either slumped or upright, bouncing. The results showed an increase in feelings of depression and sluggishness in those who walked with slumped shoulders. While this may sound odd, consider this: body language often reflects your overall mood. You huddle in a corner, crossing your arms when feeling angry or sad. You hold your head high when you're happy. So why wouldn't your posture reveal something about your state of mind? If you're feeling down, improve your posture.

Remind yourself to stand tall. Set reminders on your phone or computer to check your posture. Place notes around the house, in your car, and in your office. Sometimes all you need to maintain good posture is a constant reminder and reinforcement. Along with strengthening your back muscles, you also need to retrain your habits.

Practice Yoga. Yoga is especially beneficial for improving posture. Some of the best poses include:

• Cobra Pose: Lie face down on the mat with your hands under your shoulders, fingers pointing forward. Keep your elbows close to your body and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Make sure your back remains stable by engaging your abdominal muscles. Then, slowly lift your chest up while keeping your neck elongated. Use your arms for support and activate your back muscles to lift your body. Hold for 10 breaths and lower back down. Repeat 3 times.
• Child’s Pose: Kneel with your arms extended overhead, palms facing each other. Then, exhale and slowly fold forward. Rest your forehead on the floor, extending your arms forward, pressing your palms down. Hold, then return to the starting position. Repeat six times.
• Mountain Pose: Stand tall with your feet grounded and your heels slightly apart. Ensure your body weight is evenly distributed across your feet. Lift the inner arches of your ankles so your feet gently curve inward. Open your shoulders and try to touch your shoulder blades together. Slowly relax. Finally, raise your arms high, gazing forward.

Perform additional stretches and exercises to improve your posture. These techniques should focus particularly on your core and back muscles, as they support the spine.

• Squeeze your shoulder blades together. Imagine using your shoulder blades to hold a ball. Squeeze the ball by pulling your shoulder blades together. Hold for 10 seconds. This exercise strengthens the front shoulder area, which tends to become tight with poor posture.
• Shoulder rotations. Rotate one shoulder forward, up, back, and down. Imagine sliding your shoulder blade down your spine. Repeat with the other shoulder. This move helps reposition your shoulders toward their proper alignment.
• Chest stretch. Roll up a towel or fabric and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold the towel firmly so it’s stretched out, and your hands are also shoulder-width apart. Inhale and lift both arms to shoulder height. Then, exhale and pull your arms back as far as possible. Hold for two breaths, lower your arms, and repeat.

Choose an appropriate handbag. Opt for a bag, backpack, or briefcase that distributes weight evenly across both shoulders. Choose one that is wide, padded, and can be worn across both shoulders.

Select supportive footwear. Regularly wearing high heels or thin flats can increase strain on your back. Look for shoes with supportive soles, square toes, and heels no higher than 3 cm. Higher heels shift your body weight forward, causing you to slump or overcompensate—both of which negatively affect your back.

Learn how to sit at a desk. Your feet should be flat on the floor, your back should be straight, and your neck should be in a neutral position. This posture helps relieve pain and keep your back aligned. You can also consider using an ergonomic chair to maintain an upright position and enhance comfort.

Adjust your sleeping habits. Consider sleeping on your side with your hips bent at about a 30˚ angle. Bend your knees to a similar degree. Lastly, move your neck slightly forward on the pillow to stretch your spine.

• If you sleep on your back, think about placing a pillow under your knees and a rolled towel under your lower back. This can relieve pressure on the back, reduce pain, and elongate your spine.
• When sleeping on your side, you can place a pillow between your knees to keep your hips aligned.
• Avoid sleeping on your stomach. This position creates unnecessary pressure on your spine and may lead to spinal degeneration. It can also result in chronic neck and lower back pain over time.

Practice proper lifting techniques. Incorrectly lifting and carrying heavy objects can lead to severe back pain. When lifting heavy items regularly, consider wearing a back support belt to help maintain good posture. In addition, focus on keeping proper posture:

• Bend your knees, not your back. Unlike the leg and abdominal muscles, the back muscles are not designed to help you lift and carry heavy objects. When lifting something, make sure to bend your knees rather than your back to avoid putting strain on your lower back.

Visit a doctor. If you experience significant curvature in your back or spine and have trouble standing upright, it's important to consult a doctor. You may have scoliosis or other spinal issues. The doctor might suggest a spinal brace, and in extreme cases, surgery could be recommended. However, many other treatment options can help reduce your back pain.

Consult an Egoscue specialist. These experts specialize in posture therapy and will focus on your symptoms (if any) as well as your posture and gait. They will guide you through back stretches, concentrating on the problem areas, and provide exercises that you can do at home.

• The exercises mainly aim to increase your hip mobility and elongate your spine, helping relieve tension along the spine.
• If your issue is less severe, you may opt for personal training. Inform the trainer that you want to target muscles that promote better posture, primarily the lateral muscles. They will provide you with general exercises and stretches to improve your posture.

Consult a chiropractor. A chiropractor can take X-rays of your back and spine to measure the curvature accurately and determine if the issue is severe. They can also examine individual vertebrae to check for deformities, slippage, or misalignment. While many conditions can be treated in the clinic, if the issue is more serious, the chiropractor will refer you to a specialist.

Get regular massages. Constant stress and tension can cause your back muscles to tighten and lead to a hunched back. If you experience a stressful lifestyle, it’s a good idea to make massage a part of your daily routine.

• Likewise, using a massage chair regularly can help alleviate stress, though it won’t target specific areas that require treatment as effectively as a trained massage therapist can.