4. Your Shoes
When you try on those super hot, five-inch heels or flimsy flip-flops, you probably aren’t thinking about how your shoes affect your posture and gait. The author of The Truth About Back Pain, New York City chiropractor Todd Sinett says, "Wearing heels also alters the angle of your body so your weight isn't evenly distributed over the spine.” When your stiletto heel hits the ground, the impact of your step is distributed to your knees and all the way up the spine.
Although backless shoes like flip flops are easy to slip on, they aren’t providing the support you need. Because your heels slide around in backless shoes like flip-flops, more pressure is put on the spine because your weight is not equally distributed. Ideally, you might want shoes that hold your heels firmly in place, like sneakers, so that your body’s weight is equally distributed throughout your back.
3. Your Mobile Device
Whether it’s a tablet, laptop or phone, Americans spend two to four hours per day hunched over their mobile devices, according to CBS News. Dr. Kenneth Hansraj, the chief of spine surgery at New York Spine Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, discussed how bending your neck to look at your smartphone, laptop or tablet has resulted in an increase in neck, back and shoulder pain.
With the average head weighing about 10 to 12 pounds, any additional bending of the neck increases the head's weight due to gravity. For example, bending your neck at a 60-degree angle to read your friend’s latest blog post puts 60 pounds of pressure on your cervical spine, which is the portion of your spine just above the shoulders.
In this day and age, it seems impossible to avoid bending your neck to view your smartphone, laptop or tablet, but doing so could help you avoid upper back pain. Additionally, Dr. Hansraj said in his study, “While it is nearly impossible to avoid the technologies that cause these issues, individuals should make an effort to look at their phones with a neutral spine and to avoid spending hours each day hunched over.”
Dr. Brian Hammond, chairman of BackCare, the UK’s national back pain charity, revealed that 18- to 24-year-olds suffer most from upper back pain caused by bending the neck to better view mobile devices.