Be wary of bad posture triggering a chain reaction in the body

　　Pan Hengde

　　In the rapidly developing digital age, the way of human life and work changes accordingly.

While more and more telecommuting and online services provide efficient and convenient experience, they also bring health threats from sedentary work. One of the typical problems is "low back pain".

　　According to statistics, more than 84% of people will experience low back pain to varying degrees in their lifetime. Although the reasons are complex, the most common is pelvic anterior tilt, also known as "lower cross syndrome". Women need to pay special attention.

　　Sedentary lower cross syndrome

　　Lower cross syndrome, also known as pelvic cross syndrome, is a sign of abnormal human posture. It refers to the imbalance of the muscles around the pelvis and the muscles on the front and back sides of the waist, resulting in an imbalance in the shape of the pelvis.

　　The muscles for the anterior tilt of the pelvis are mainly the erector spinae and iliopsoas muscles, and the muscles for the posterior tilt of the pelvis are mainly the abdominal and buttock muscles. syndrome.

In addition to obvious pelvic anteversion, excessive lumbar curvature can also be seen, which is mainly related to sedentary, improper exercise, and long-term poor posture.

　　For office workers, the occurrence of lower cross syndrome is mainly due to poor posture and sedentary lifestyle.

In short, the disease is caused by the basic inactivity of the muscles of the lower body.

　　On the one hand, when the hip joint is flexed while sitting, the iliopsoas muscle remains shortened, and over time, this muscle will shorten.

When standing, shortened muscles pull the pelvis forward.

　　On the other hand, people who are accustomed to sitting have poor gluteus maximus and abdominal muscles, and muscle weakness will develop over time. This is not difficult to explain why the buttock muscles of sedentary people are often very loose.

The muscles of the abdomen and buttocks are relatively weak, but the hip flexor muscles of the thigh are tense, which causes an imbalance in the biomechanical structure, and the performance of the pelvis tilting forward, which eventually causes lower cross syndrome.

　　In addition, pregnant women, obese people and women who often wear high heels also have this situation.

Whether it is a fetus or an obese person, the stomach has a certain weight. The abdominal muscles are stretched and stretched and weak for a long time, and it is difficult to tighten them. As a result, the front and rear muscles of the pelvis are out of balance (the front muscles are weak and the rear muscles are strong), resulting in The pelvis is tilted forward.

　　However, it is impossible for people to bend over and walk. When walking upright, the part above the lumbar spine is straight, and the lumbar muscles continue to exert force. At this time, excessive lordosis of the lumbar spine can be seen, which causes the center of gravity of the lumbar spine to move forward, and the stomach is held out when walking.

　　Bodily Injury Caused by Lower Cross Syndrome

　　-Posture problems: The body is in the wrong posture, and posture problems follow, such as abdominal lordosis and abnormal hip upturning (not referring to the full shape of the gluteus maximus, but the forward tilt of the pelvis that causes the hips to stick back).

　　- Muscle pain: due to the inability to tighten the abdominal core muscles well, when carrying heavy objects or moving things in daily life, the waist muscles need to be overexerted, coupled with the weakness of the abdominal muscles, pain is prone to occur, and it will reappear after a long time Lumbar muscle strain.

　　What's more, it directly leads to the misalignment of the small joints of the lumbar spine, and the pain is unbearable.

When standing, the muscles and fascia of the lumbar spine are tense for a long time, and pain will occur.

In addition, when lying on a hard bed surface, the waist is suspended, and long-term lying may also cause discomfort or pain.

　　-Joint Pain: Abnormal posture increases the pressure on the lumbar joints, increases the lordosis of the lumbar spine, which leads to an increase in the horizontal angle of the sacrum, and increases the forward shear force of the fifth lumbar vertebra and the sacrum, which in turn increases the pressure between the joints, causing pain.

Excessive lordosis of the lumbar spine increases instability, and when the upper limbs are under excessive pressure, lumbar spondylolisthesis may even occur.

　　- Affects organs: The pelvis supports the organs and protects internal organs and reproductive organs.

Pelvic tilt will lead to changes in the shape of the uterus, ovaries, and gastrointestinal organs, resulting in obstruction of the circulation of body fluids, weakened bowel movements, and gastrointestinal dysfunction.

　　The physiological curvature of the spine becomes larger, and the position of the diaphragm compresses the viscera and moves down to the abdominal cavity. This is not only the cause of the protruding abdomen, but also the cause of abdominal fat hypertrophy.

　　Two ways to self-test pelvic anteversion

　　How can I tell if I have an anterior pelvic tilt?

The following two self-test methods are introduced:

　　-Stand up naturally, open your hands, put your four fingers together, separate your thumbs, place your fingers side by side facing down, and touch your thumbs and index fingers respectively.

　　Put the heels of the palms of both hands on the anterior superior iliac spine, and place the middle fingers on the pubic symphysis. At this time, the fingers should point vertically to the floor. If they point to the back of the body instead of the floor, it means that the pelvis is tilted forward.

　　-Stand naturally against the wall, keep your feet together, make sure your heels, buttocks, shoulder blades and head are against the wall, and then measure the gap between the lumbar spine and the wall. Normally, the gap in the middle is the distance of three fingers. If the distance between the waist and the wall Anterior pelvic tilt can be judged when a fist or more can be put in.

　　(The author is the chief therapist of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Shanghai First People's Hospital)

　　tips

　　correct lower crossed syndrome

　　In daily life, we can improve abnormalities such as anterior pelvic tilt through some posture adjustments, muscle stretching and relaxation, and strength training.

Especially for office workers, it is recommended to do more exercise during rest time and correct bad sitting posture at work.

　　The correct sitting posture should be when sitting, the head is horizontal and neutral, and the vertical line of the ears passes through the center of gravity of the body.

Keep the lumbar spine slightly lordotic, and a soft pillow can be placed on the waist to prevent excessive bending.

Keep your feet on the ground naturally, never cross your legs.

　　How to improve pelvic forward tilt through exercise?

　　- Iliopsoas stretch

　　Working at a desk for a long time shortens the iliopsoas muscle and causes the pelvis to tilt forward, which affects the extensibility and elasticity of this muscle.

This action adopts a large lunge step. The hind legs and knees are attached to the yoga mat, and the center of gravity is moved forward. You can fully feel the muscles in the front of the hip (represented by the iliopsoas) being stretched. Hold for 15-30 seconds and can be repeated. 3-5 times.

　　- back muscle stretch

　　Tension and discomfort in the lower back is also a major symptom in most people with lower cross syndrome.

Use the kneeling stretching movement, sit on the buttocks on the heels, stretch your hands forward, and feel the full back arch like a sail.

You can use a foam roller to massage the waist muscles. Stretching and rolling can effectively relax the waist muscles.

　　-core strength training

　　Belly roll: supine position, lift the body to about 45 degrees from the ground, hold for 5-10 seconds, 10 sets, repeat 3-5 sets.

It should be noted that embracing the neck with both hands to protect the cervical spine, when the body moves upwards at an excessive angle, it will cause excessive participation of the iliopsoas muscle, which will make the relaxed iliopsoas muscle more tense.

　　Plank support: The elbows and feet support the body on the ground, the body is parallel to the ground, pay attention to keep the shoulders, hips, knees and ankles in a straight line and avoid wrong movements such as bending the waist and arching the back.

30 seconds at a time, 5 times a group, repeat 2-3 groups.

　　-Gluteal and hamstring exercises

　　Since the glutes and hamstrings are weak and unable to return a pelvis that has tilted forward to a neutral position, supine hip thrusts can help with posture correction.

Pay attention to fully bend the knees and hook the toes, and lift the buttocks until the shoulders, hips and knees form a straight line.

At this time, you can fully feel the strength of the muscles in the buttocks and the back of the thighs.

15 in each group, repeat 3-4 groups.

Pay attention to slow down when lowering, and at the same time, the hips should not be completely attached to the ground.

　　The above exercises can help correct bad posture, improve low back pain, knee pain and other problems.