Some great advice, as you may know I recently underwent surgery to remedy a flat foot, the other one will need doing at some point too. I am fairly tall and have always stooped a bit, as has been mentioned it's probably connected with the flat feet. Sounds like I had better go and see the doctor for a referral.
As soon as I read this post the Alexander technique came to mind.
Someone also suggested having a spinal x-ray, which can be good to take to any professional you may wish to see.
As long as there is nothing structurally wrong, this will require effort on your behalf to remedy your posture.
Knowing how to stand and move is vital, so I thoroughly recommend the Alexander technique.
I had a sciatica a few weeks ago. Slipped in the shower. My left leg and foot hurt like hell. I had a session of osteo, two of kiné and a couple of traditional massages which helped. Basically, my dog walks helped most of all. Although I could hardly put my foot on the ground I walked 10km or so a go, twice a day at least. I agree with Robert entirely. It is also like back where I started by recommending ballet and other Alexander technique, the point is doing whatever improves your posture which also helps back muscles. I must say that I forgot another exercise that I take for granted but is great for your back too. Archery. You need a good bow though. I have one that cost £300 nearly 20 years ago, a hunting long bow. You have to stand straight to shoot well, your left arm is straight as it can be but you have to resist it being pushed back (with my shoulder that would hurt like hell) and drawing the bowstring back evenly and slowly, then holding it to aim all require good posture and muscle control.
Totally agree....walking is where it's at. I have what they call Lumbago....(knackered back) and it can turn into sciatica very quickly. Which is very unpleasant as I'm sure some of you know. I found walking with or without sticks very good for strengthening the back full stop. Worked for me anyway....tried alsorts of osteopaths and chiropractors over the years....complete waste of money in my opinion.
You have my sympathy James but I'm afraid you will have to do something positive to get results....that may be as little as 30 mins a day....
Good luck!!
Buy a pair of Nordic Walking Sticks and learn how to use them correctly (a lot of people don't) from the internet. When used correctly you can walk for as long (or as short) you want and they will encourage you to straighten your back, swing your hips, lengthen your stride and move your arms while lifting your shoulders. A relatively inexpensive way to improve your posture.
Don't know about the magnetism bit Jonathan but the death of Isolde takes some beating !
You might want to consider chiropractic first. I have found three very competent doctors in France, all are American trained. One in Annecy, one in Lyon and the one nearest me in the small village of Perycave. These aren't bone crackers. They use much gentler methods of putting things back into their proper place. Once accomplished, discomfort and symptoms vanish. Orthodox medicine resists any common sense corrections of the spine preferring pills, surgery or unwieldy prosthetic devices to address the symptoms, while ignoring the cause.
Alexander technique is brilliant for posture. I know someone, a professional fiddler, who became "locked" through over use of the same muscles night after night, whose life was changed by it. He is now a fiddler AND Alexander teacher. In UK unfortunately.
I had "un corset" prescribed as a back brace due to a neurological condition. I would strongly recommend going to an orthopaedic technician and getting one fitted. One that doesn't fit is worse than useless. I went to Orthopédie Duverger in Chatellerault, which is an Aladdin's cave if comfy shoes are treasure (well to me they are). You can get them going on the subject of classic cars for hours, so make an appointment for a fitting. A prescription from your doctor is useful as some of the cost is refunded by CPAM or whoever.
You need two of the things so one can go in the wash. I'm on 100% for my condition and you can only have one corset per year on fully-funded prescription. The second one was off-the-peg and I can only wear it for short intervals because it is held together with velcro ("scratch") rough side down. All very well if the two ends overlap completely over the tummy, but itchy if there's any velcro against the skin. You are meant to wear it over your knickers, not a big problem if you're a chap, but more so if you're a girlie because you have to take the brace off to go to the loo. The fitted kind go UNDER the knickers. I also bought one in Lidl only about a month ago, which has the same problem.
Deep joy no. 2: if you work a lot sitting down. the ends of the bones ("baleines") stick into your stomach. You can ignore it only for so long.
The other deep joy is if you have anything elastic waisted. The elastic gets caught under the back of the belt, Worst case scenario: your trousers fall down.
Carl, twenty-five years ago in Australia after oceans of testsI was given the same diagnosis - following a thought that it was cancer - which gave me a sleepless couple of weeks! The they said the same as you and that I should be prepared to end up in a wheelchair in five years.
Twenty-five years later, still riding the bike and still out and about PLUS I spend far too many hours on the computer (tip of the day -think of lowering the seat a bit which forces one to sit a bit more upright anyway).
Take advice but not too literally when it comes to the Doomsday prognosis!
Hi James
Whatever you do, no back brace! Your back muscles will just get weaker and the problem will get worse. You definitely need to strengthen your back, not give it less responsibility. (I'm in the middle of a long five-year slog qualifying as a Iyengar yoga teacher, but suffer from lower back pain when I'm at my desk too long and have a husband with chronic back problems so this sort of thing is very much on mind - empathize hugely)
What's the cause of the problem? Bad posture is just a bad habit and you can unlearn it. Are you hunched over a desk writing/typing much of the day, driving a lot? Are you tall and have always tended to slouch? Do you just tend to slouch? I remember you posting before about feet (forgive me, it's just that I'm interested in this sort of thing, I can't help myself!) and it's probably all connected: what's happening with your feet is going to affect your posture a lot, too, particularly the pelvis, which is the bottom of the spine, where it all starts. Also, if your posture is bad, you'll be collapsing your chest and diaphragm, which puts more weight on your internal organs and this can make you feel gloomy, and grumpy and out of sorts. However, if you can get to know your back, connect with it, find out about it then you can learn how to improve your posture and sort our your problems yourself! The thing is, you'll need to give it some time and attention (which I do appreciate if you are busy family man is easier said than done ....).
Start by going to see a good kiné osteopath or chiropractor, one who is recommended by one of our helpful SF friends. Find out what's going on in your back and shoulders: are the vertebrae getting crushed? is there a scoliosis somewhere? what's going on in your pelvis/sacrum at the bottom and the pectoral girdle - the shoulders and collarbones and all that at the top. What's getting squished? Is anything seriously displaced? Which part of your spine is weak?
Then, armed with what you've learned about your structure, and possibly having had some things adjusted back into place, find a good Alexander technique, Pilates or Iyengar yoga class and go regularly once a week, doing whatever practice they give you once a week in between. Obviously, it being my thing, I would recommend the Iyengar yoga above everything else, but other stuff is effective too - maybe not ballet for the moment yet, though .... My husband tends to snort loudly (expressive Gallic snorting) when I start talking in this way. But, I would bet my shirt (and even my trousers) that if you do something along these lines within six months you will be feeling better all over. Bon courage!
The idea of magnetism as a cure for many things has been around since the 18th century as evidenced by the scene in Mozart's Cosi fan Tutte when Despina (pretending to be a doctor and quoting Dr Messmer) uses a magnet to revive the two lovers who are pretending to have died. It may, of course, be much more effective now, but I doubt has ever again inspired such wonderful music.
"There was a young lady from Norway
who hung upside down in a doorway…"
If you are otherwise healthy; bone and muscle wise, I would think that regular stretching exercises and a general attempt to become more aware of your posture, moment to moment, would be better than a back brace. Make a point of doing some stretching especially when you get up from behind that computer screen - which I'm sure you do a lot of. A few sessions with a good physiotherapist might be worthwhile too.
I had bad posture as a teenager, as do many grouchy, slouchy yoofs, but the army cured me of that. Now, with both knees in bad repair, I'm thinking of taking up a spot of canoeing on our lovely local river, the Rance. At least I'll get the upper body bits twisting and turning - and enjoy the scenery.
Good luck and good health, James.
Yes, all good thoughts. Add to it the element of sitting badly and there is a solution. Rather than a conventional chair, try one of the kneeling chair variety. I have used one for I guess about 20 years. Sure, people do slouch using them but if you start by training your posture to be upright when you start then they are really good. Along with Saski's advice, some acupuncture if you are having pain at present and you'll be right as rain in a while.
Hi Saski here. I am a Personal Trainer and Sports Massage Therapist so would like to add my thoughts if I may.
When you say terrible posture. Is this due to being sedentary, sitting hunched over a computer? If this is the case, your back muscles that run down your spine and your scapular muscles will become long and weak over time and your chest muscles will become short and tight. I would suggest begin by putting a little note by your computer telling yourself to sit up straight. Then I would begin to (and remember this has to be a lifestyle change, if you want to see results) begin by stretching out the chest muscles and strengthening up your posterior chain (your back, bum and hamstrings). Great exercises for this will be Back Extensions, Superman, good mornings, glute bridge marches (you can find these exercises on you tube if your not sure what they look like) you can do this as a mini circuit say 15 reps of exercise 1 rest for 60sec repeat 3 times then move onto the exercise 2 repeat as exercise 1. These will definitely help to begin with, and then I would highly recommend doing some strength training to progress and maintain. I must stress that form is really important especially if you undertake any weighted lifting. Work on your core strength to.
If you have any more questions just let me know. :)
Saski.
A back brace is like a plaster - it doesn't solve the problem, just covers it up. Being a yoga fan I am a bit biased but it is totally possible to change posture and 'cure' back ache. Much better to learn how to do it yourself rather than rely on something/someone else to do it for you. I teach yoga in Maubourguet and Marciac and also offer private yoga therapy sessions where we can assess your posture and give you a few simple movements to do at home. Message me if you're interested and good luck.
Absolutely noy! They will support but weaken the muscles because they don’t need to work. I have spondylitis which is ankolysing (fusing discs) and exercise combined with regular physiotherapy combined with always thinking about how I am standing (upright, pulling up away from the hips with buttocks tucked in) has actually improved my posture. It may be an idea to ask for a back x-ray to make sure there is no underlying cause in which case you can get the necessary treatment.
You seem quite young to be having such problems. Maybe your general posture needs correcting ? Any idea what's causing the problems ? For the back pain an acupuncture mat may help along with physio etc. Pilates can be a great help, especially with finding the correct posture. Find a pro practioner in your area he or she could transform your life !
In any case you need to find the cause...
Ditto, my one who has worked on my shoulder for over two years now. She is not so far from Véro at home, or Lalinde her practice. A bit far but I'll see her tomorrow early and will ask. She goes to some kind of training seminars just a bit further south than you so perhaps she does. I'll let you know.
James in all instances talk to a doctor! Two cases in my own life was 1) when I seriously 'put my back out' just reaching across a desk for an envelope! Treatment was via an excellent physio/osteo who realy knew his stuff - this was in Brussels so no help for you I'm afraid. It lasted about a year once a week, but as that was now over fifteen years ago and no problem since, although getting older and stiffer does generate a few tweaks now and then, like everybody I think?
Second much more relevant is my sister-in-law who had a freak accident on a cycle path in Paris, in which she crushed vertebrae. She had to wear a surgical back brace - made to measure as others have noted, which is almost rigid. She wore it 24 hours a day for about a year and my wife (her twin sister) went to live and take care of her - notably in personal things like toilet and bathing.
She lost about 2cms in height over this, which is evident when they are now seen together. Now apart from being sensible, and almost three years later all she needs is a belt-type softer support as you see weightlifters using.
But back to the point - talk to your Doctor who SHOULD be able to suggest a good physio or osteopath, if he/she doesn't - change your doctor! The softer support doesn't need a prescription, and maybe you could try one at no great cost to see if it helps. Not sure about 'posture' per se being the problem, but exercising - as in walking even is never a bad thing.