Posture and Body Mechanics

Body mechanics and good posture were harped on by my mother or grandmothers. I thought they were overreacting or I was fine, because I was young. But after watching this lecture and learning from OSHA ways to mitigate back pain and ways to have better body mechanics, I am looking at these concepts more critically in my own life. In order to help a client understand the importance of good posture and body mechanics, I would bring up multiple reasons I learned from this lecture. First of all, people who suffer from back injuries are likely to have those injuries recur throughout their lives. In fact, 90% of people who suffer from a back pain will have that same pain or injury occur again. I would also talk about how even if they have not experienced a back injury they are likely to flex their trunk 3 to 5 thousand times a day, which increases the likelihood of an injury if not done properly. I would also talk about in terms of body posture, the possibility of a herniated disc, which can cause severe back pain. When talking about proper body mechanics, especially in the workplace, money is also a factor. It is incredibly expensive for a person to recover from a back injury as well as expensive for the employer.
Some ways that I would teach my client to improve their body and posture and mechanics would be teaching them how to utilize the slouch-overcorrect method and how to lay in the bed properly for sleep. I would teach clients who often sit at desks how to use the slouch-overcorrect method in order to combat back pain and poor posture. I would also teach a client how to use towels and pillows to create the proper way to sleep in their bed. Often mattress companies tout expensive mattresses that can "fix" back pain, but a person can utilize simple household items to mitigate back pain without the extra cost. I would have them demonstrate how they lay in bed in order to critique them and then show them how to use a pillow or towel to facilitate slight hip and knee flexion.