用正确的姿势避免后背疼痛

译者 wood5066

Why is good posture important?

为什么姿势正确很重要？

When it comes to posture, your mother did know best. Her frequent reminders to stand up straight and stop slouching were good advice.

一提起身体姿势，妈妈总是知道得最多，她不厌其烦地提醒你要站直、别懒懒散散的，而这些都是正确的建议。

Your spine is strong and stable when you practice healthy posture. But when you stoop or slouch, your muscles and ligaments struggle to keep you balanced — which can lead to fatigue, back pain, headaches and other problems.

在健康的姿势下，你的脊柱强健而稳固，但当你弯腰驼背或懒散而坐时，肌肉和韧带就不得不努力保持身体平衡——进而导致疲劳、后背疼痛、头痛和其他问题。

Your spine's curves

脊柱的生理弯曲

A healthy back has three natural curves:

健康的后背有三个生理弯曲：

    An inward or forward curve at the neck (cervical curve)

颈部向内或向前的弯曲（颈曲）

    An outward or backward curve at the upper back (thoracic curve)

后背上部向外或向后的弯曲（胸曲）

    An inward curve at the lower back (lumbar curve)

后背下部向内的弯曲（腰曲）

Good posture helps maintain these natural curves, while poor posture does the opposite — which can stress or pull muscles and cause pain.

正确的姿势有助于保持这些生理弯曲，而错误的姿势则相反——其将压迫或拉伸肌肉并引起疼痛。

Good standing posture

正确的站姿

When standing, keep these tips in mind:

在站立时，记住以下几点：

    Hold your chest high.

挺起胸部。

    Keep your shoulders back and relaxed.

保持双肩向后并放松。

    Pull in your abdomen and buttocks.

收腹提臀。

    Keep your feet parallel.

保持双脚平行。

    Balance your weight evenly on both feet.

双脚均匀承重。

Try not to tilt your head forward, backward or sideways, and make sure your knees are relaxed — not locked.

尽量不要让头部向前、向后或向两侧倾斜，同时膝盖不要用力，保持放松状态。

Take the wall test

做墙壁测试（做靠墙测试）

To test your standing posture, take the wall test. Stand with your head, shoulder blades and buttocks touching a wall, and your heels about two to four inches (five to 10 centimeters) away from the wall. Reach back and slide your hand behind the curve in your lower back, with your palm flat against the wall.

用墙壁测试来看看你的站姿是否正确。站立时，将你的头部、肩胛骨和臀部紧贴墙壁，而脚踝距离墙壁2-4英寸（5-10厘米），双手向后，沿后背下部的弯曲处滑下，并保持手掌平贴墙面。

Ideally, you'll feel about one hand's thickness of space between your back and the wall. If there's too much space, tighten your abdominal muscles to flatten the curve in your back. If there's too little space, arch your back so that your hand fits comfortably behind you. Walk away from the wall while maintaining this posture. Keep it up throughout your daily activities.

理想情况下，在后背和墙壁之间，你能感觉到有一只手厚度的空隙。如果空隙过大，收紧腹肌使后背的曲线变平。如果空隙太小，挺起后背使后部的空间能够容纳一只手。保持这样的姿势离开墙壁，在日常活动中也要保持该姿势。

Good sitting posture

正确的坐姿

When seated, keep these tips in mind:

在坐立时，记住以下几点：

    Choose a chair that allows you to rest both feet flat on the floor, while keeping your knees level with your hips. If necessary, prop up your feet with a footstool or other support.

座椅选择要求：在保持膝盖与臀部在一个水平线的同时，能使双脚掌平放在地上休息。如有必要，用脚凳或其它支持物垫起双脚。

    Sit with your back firmly against the chair. If necessary, place a small cushion or rolled towel behind the curve of your lower back.

保持后背紧靠椅背。如有必要，在后背下部的弯曲后面放置一个小靠垫或是卷起的毛巾。

    Stretch the top of your head toward the ceiling, and tuck your chin in slightly.

头向上抬起，头顶与天花板保持平行，并将下颌稍稍向内收拢。

    Keep your upper back and neck comfortably straight.

保持后背上部和颈部舒适挺直。

    Keep your shoulders relaxed — not elevated, rounded or pulled backward.

保持双肩放松——不要耸肩、垂肩，也不要向后用力。

Keep your shoulders straight

保持双肩挺直

Whether you're sitting or standing, pay attention to the position of your shoulders. Slouching or rolling your shoulders forward shortens your chest muscles and reduces their flexibility. On the flip side, pulling your shoulders too far back causes your abdomen to stick out too far in front.

无论是站立还是坐立，要注意肩膀的位置。肩膀低垂或是内旋会使胸肌缩短并且弹性降低。反之，将肩膀向后拉得过远，则会使腹部过度前凸。

Check out your reflection

对镜检查

To see if you're keeping your shoulders straight, stand in front of a mirror or ask someone else to evaluate your shoulder position. Aim to keep your shoulders in the same position as shown in the image on the left.

站在镜子前或是让别人来检查你双肩的位置，看看双肩是否挺直。目的在于双肩保持在和左图相同的位置上。

It all adds up

总结

Although good posture should be natural, you may feel wooden or stiff at first if you've forgotten the sensation of sitting and standing up straight. The key is to practice good posture all the time. You can make improvements at any age. Stretching and core strengthening exercises can help, too.

尽管正确的姿势感觉起来应该是自然的，但如果你早忘了如何坐直和站直，那一开始做起来可能会感到呆板和僵硬。关键在于时刻保持正确姿势，在任何年龄你都能得到改善。伸展运动和核心肌群训练也能有所帮助。