The girl, in her mid to late 20's, sat at a cozy, corner table in the dim light of Starbuck's cafe chatting with a friend. A steaming cup of coffee waited patiently in front of her. She sat on the edge of the chair with her legs crossed. Her arms were folded in front of her, elbows resting on the table. Her head seemed to teeter at the top of the perfectly formed "C" made by her spine.
She turned her head to the right. Her head seemed to move forever. Finally it came to rest with her chin perched directly over her shoulder. The rest of her body remained perfectly still. Just from the way she moved her head, I thought "I'll bet she has neck pain." I resisted the urge to casually drop my observation in her lap. She stayed in this fully turned position for nearly 30 seconds while she talked with someone. Then, she turned back to her friend and rubbed her neck.
I was right.
Do something for me. Sit up tall. Really tall and straight. Now, turn your head to the right. Notice how far you can turn it. Next, slump. Let your shoulders fall down and forward with your spine in a rounded position. Look straight ahead. Turn your head again to the right. What happens? If you are like most people, you can turn your head more when you sit up tall.
When you were a kid, did your parents prod you or remind you to sit up straight? It always seemed to happen around the dinner table. "Quit slouching and sit up straight. You need good posture."
Turns out, your parents were right.
When you sit up straight and turn your head, your neck joints have plenty of room so turning is much easier. But, when you sit in a "C" position, as the girl in the cafe, the joints in your neck jam together and cannot turn as easily. When you turn your head, your joints twist on each other like wringing out a wet dish rag. If you do it enough, your neck will start to hurt.
How do you know if you are sitting correctly? Here's the answer:
- Sit on the edge of chair and sit up tall and as straight as you can.
- Take a pencil and hold the eraser end on your cheek bone just below your eye.
- The other end of the pencil should point directly at your upper
chest or sternum (sometimes referred to as the breastbone). If you
extend an imaginary line from
the end of the pencil, that line should
run directly into the breastbone (notice in the image how far forward the red line is from the woman's upper chest - this is too far). - If the pencil's imaginary line extends farther down your body, you are not sitting up straight enough.
There are all sorts of reasons why a person chooses to slouch. Some of them include muscular weakness, inflexibility, and low self-esteem (all great topics for another View). If you find you cannot achieve a tall, upright position as I outlined above, you may want to consider an assessment by a physical therapist, chiropractor, or other health care provider who understands biomechanics to find the root cause and then correct it.
Reduce your risk of neck pain by following the sage but often ignored advice of your parents: sit up straight.
Make today count.
Doug Kelsey
