Poor Posture and Neck Pain: How To Improve Your Posture And Eliminate Neck Problems For Good.
Poor posture and neck pain, or stiffness, is a common problem. Many of us spend hours a day sitting at a PC and in cars and trains. And what do we do at the end of the day? We go home and slump in front of the TV.But, when we come to look for a solution for our pain and discomfort, we often look in the wrong place. Pain killers and massage are only temporary, trying to sit properly often leads to more pain, and even exercises to improve posture are not the answer. But if you don't change your posture, any attempt to relieve your neck pain or stiffness will not work! If your doctor has not found a specific medical condition to explain your neck pain, posture is often a cause. But, just standing or sitting up straight is not the answer. I see many cases where attempts to improve posture actually make things worse by creating more tension in the neck and shoulders. The same applies to exercises to improve posture - because they don't change your posture habits and deliver long-term benefits. Take a look at the three postures below (this also applies to your sitting posture. How's Your Posture?
However, when you try to stand up straight, see middle photo, most people I see in my practice will do it by tightening the lower back, pushing out the chest and pulling the head back. This also places unnecessary stress on the neck, shoulder and back muscles. If you try to stand like this for too long, it will hurt or you'll get tired and your muscles will ache. So, how can you improve your posture to get rid of neck pain and stiffness for good? The short answer is to do less! That is, not to try to stand or sit properly, because in fifteen years of teaching Alexander Technique, I've never seen anyone do it correctly - this included myself before I had lessons - we just stiffen up and make it worse. The photo on the right above, shows a natural, relaxed upright posture. There is no undue tension, the bones are sitting exactly where they need to be, without any attempt to try and stand 'correctly'. We did it as young children without having to think about it, but most of us have long since lost the natural poise we once had. 
Hi, I'm Roy Palmer and after suffering many years of neck pain and poor posture, I finally found the Alexander Technique. During my first lesson my teacher looked at my standing posture and asked me to stand 'properly'. My attempt probably looked something like the photo in the middle above. Then she said something that has remained with me ever since. She said. "If you knew how to stand correctly, you would already be doing it - and, you wouldn't be here with all your aches and pains." She had a point! It had been many years since I had been able to stand for any amount of time without suffering from an ache somewhere in my body. Years of sitting at desks, suffering from stress and neck pain, sports injuries and poor posture, had taking it's toll. After a number of lessons, I learnt how to relax without slumping, and let my postural reflexes tell my muscles what to do - something they will do with a fraction of the effort most adults use to stand and sit. I just hadn't realized how much tension I was carrying in my neck to do the everyday tasks - it had become a habit, a bad one! 
I wouldn't hestitate to recommend anyone with poor posture and neck pain to try Alexander Technique lessons.You will be amazed at how much difference it can make. However, of you don't life near a teacher in your area, I have designed a self-teach program to help. It contains easy-to-follow techniques to reduce tension, relaxation tips and plenty of ways to improve your posture without exercise or effort. For more information please see my program for a stiff neck. PLUS - I will include my Complete Posture Program if you download my guide today! The good news is that it is possible to do something postive for your posture and neck pain at the same time, and it actually takes less effort than you're probably using now to stand, sit, walk and run.
Copyright www.fitness-programs-for-life.com 2010 Roy Palmer |
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