9 moves that are destroying your bones

If the human body is compared to a building, the skeleton is like the steel frame. Whether your physique is strong or not is closely related to the health of your bones. Many common bad postures in life can hurt bones and accelerate bone aging without you realizing it. Not only can this cause body deformation, it can also lead to many health problems.

1. Squatting to pick vegetables

Studies have shown that the load on the knees is almost zero when lying flat, while the load when standing up and walking flat is 1 to 2 times the body weight, when running it is 4 times, and when squatting and kneeling it is 8 times. Clinically, there are more female patients with knee joint diseases than male patients because women squat more often than men in their daily lives, such as squatting to wash clothes, pick vegetables, and mop the floor.

Experts remind: The elderly and obese people should try not to squat or reduce the squatting time to no more than 20 minutes. It is best for the elderly to hold on to a table or chair when squatting to reduce the pressure on the knee joints.

2. Wear a shoulder bag

Carrying a shoulder bag for a long time will cause shoulder pain, or even one shoulder higher than the other. In order to prevent the strap from slipping down, people always tend to push one shoulder upwards and exert force inwards. If this continues for a long time, the spine may develop scoliosis and women may even have asymmetrical breasts. Students who are in the stage of bone growth and development are particularly susceptible to the impact.

Experts remind: The textbooks in students’ backpacks are very heavy, so it is best to carry a backpack. For adults, when commuting to and from get off work, if the distance is short, you can carry a single-shoulder bag, but it is best not to always use one shoulder. You can carry it alternately on both shoulders or carry it cross-body. If the journey is long, it is best to carry a backpack.

3. Cuddle up on the sofa

Curling up on the sofa or in bed to watch TV or play with your phone is relaxing, but it is very painful for your bones. In a semi-recumbent position, the lumbar spine lacks sufficient support, and its original curvature is forced to change. The gravity exerted on the intervertebral disc increases, which is not conducive to maintaining the physiological structure of the lumbar spine and spine. Over time, it may lead to muscle strain, scoliosis, and even induce low back pain, cervical spondylosis, and lumbar disc herniation.

Experts remind: The correct sitting posture is to keep your back straight, chest and abdomen in, legs flat, calves and thighs at a 90-degree angle, sit in the middle of the chair, or lean forward slightly, but don't let your upper body lean to the left or right. It is best to choose a sofa with a harder texture at home so that you won’t sink into it all of a sudden when you sit on it. It is best to add a pillow behind your waist when you rest to support your lower back and help relax your lumbar spine.

4. Looking down at your phone

When people lower their heads to use their mobile phones, the cervical spine often bears a heavier weight of the head, while the shoulders and neck are overly tense, and the burden on the lumbar spine is increased. After becoming a "phone-dwelling tribe", in just 5 years, symptoms such as shoulder and neck muscle pain, back pain, and cervical spondylosis will come knocking on your door. People who work at a desk or use a computer for long periods of time may also encounter these problems.

Experts remind: You should not look down at your phone for more than 15 minutes. It is best to keep the phone at eye level or slightly lower, and keep your head upright without hunching your back. People who work at a desk for a long time should develop the habit of getting up and moving around after working for about an hour. They can hold the back of their head with both hands and tilt their head back four or five times, while doing chest expansion and shoulder shrug movements, which has a good relaxation effect.

5. Take a nap while lying down

Many office workers are accustomed to taking naps on their desks at noon, which is not conducive to maintaining the physiological curvature of the cervical spine and may cause cervical spine problems. People with back pain or neck pain should not sleep on their stomach, as it will aggravate their condition.

Experts remind: It is best to lie down during a nap. If conditions do not allow, you can sit on a chair, put a cushion behind your waist, lean back slightly, and take a simple rest.

6. Stand at ease

Standing posture not only affects your image, but is also directly related to your health. Many people like to stand at ease and put the body's center of gravity on one leg. This can help them relax the body for a short period of time. However, if they do this for a long time, the uneven force on both sides of the lumbar spine will cause the pelvis to be distorted, the spine to bend, and low back pain to occur.

Experts remind: You should pay attention to maintaining a correct standing posture, keep your chest up, head up, and arms hanging naturally, so that the weight of your whole body is evenly distributed on your two legs, which is conducive to bone stretching and smooth breathing.

7. Cross your legs

If you always cross your legs, your pelvis and hip joints will be easily sore due to long-term pressure, and you may also suffer from muscle strain. It can also easily cause uneven pressure distribution between the lumbar and thoracic vertebrae, causing spinal deformation, inducing lumbar disc herniation, and leading to chronic low back pain.

Experts remind: Maintain correct sitting posture and try not to cross your legs. If you can't change it right away, don't cross your legs for more than 10 minutes at a time.

8. Talking with your phone between your head and shoulders

Some people have the habit of holding their phones between their heads and necks when they are busy at work. Little do people know that excessive force on the cervical spine to one side may lead to neck muscle spasms and excessive fatigue, causing soreness and pain in the neck, and laying the hidden dangers of cervical spondylosis.

Experts remind: It is best to hold the phone when answering it, and alternate hands every few minutes to avoid excessive tension in the muscles on one side.

9. Lifting heavy objects with straight knees

In life, many people have experienced "lumbar sprain", which is clinically called acute lumbar sprain. Sometimes a bad posture can easily cause a slipped waist. When you keep your knees straight and bend over to lift heavy objects, you cannot effectively exert the strength of the muscles around the hip and knee joints. The fascia, muscles, and ligaments of the waist and back are often injured due to excessive burden, which is also harmful to the lumbar spine.

Experts remind: When lifting heavy objects, you should bend your knees and squat, keep the object as close to your body as possible, keep your spine vertical, use the strength of your leg muscles to support your body and stand up slowly, and avoid sudden force. Once you have a back sprain, it is best to lie on your back on a hard bed to rest in the early stage. In the later stage, you can cooperate with massage and acupuncture.