You may have a poorly aligned spine and poor posture for any number of reasons. Whether you incurred a spinal injury that threw your back out of whack, or you've slouched in an office chair for years, stretching and strengthening your back and focusing on proper posture can help you correct your spinal alignment. Before trying to self-treat a poorly aligned spine, talk with your doctor to make sure you don't have any medical problems that would prevent you from performing certain exercises.
Step 1
Keep a "spine health" journal for several days. Write notes about your sleep position, how you feel when you wake up, your posture or position while you work, and whether your back aches or becomes tight at certain times of the day. Also write down any exercise or stretching you perform. This journal will help you identify whether certain behaviors trigger poor back alignment.
Step 2
Make basic posture changes to your sitting, standing and sleeping habits in order to better align your spine. Avoid crossing your legs, sleeping on your stomach or slouching. These bad habits can cause one side of your back to repeatedly tighten, throwing your spine out of alignment. Keep your weight centered over both feet while maintaining a neutral spine alignment.
Step 3
Add regular cardiovascular exercise such as walking, cycling or swimming, to your routine. This will help you maintain your weight, preventing additional strain on your spine. Regular cardiovascular exercise will also help you strengthen the stabilizing muscles of your core.
Step 4
Add strengthening exercises to your routine that work your back and abs. According to Spine-Health, you want the trunk muscles of your back to be approximately 30 percent stronger than the muscles of your abs.
Step 5
Perform exercises such as supermans and back-extensions to strengthen your low back. To perform the superman exercise, lie on your stomach with your arms fully extended over your head and your legs straight. Lift and lower your arms and legs from the floor in unison -- as though you were trying to fly through the air. Focus on tightening your low back as you perform the exercise.
To perform low back extensions, lie on your stomach across the top of an exercise ball. Spread your legs and use your toes for balance and cross your arms across your chest. Lift your torso up and away from the ball as you tighten your lower back, then relax your back as you lower your torso.
Step 6
Perform sit-ups on an exercise ball to increase your abdominal strength. Sit on the ball with your arms crossed, and as you tighten your abs lean your torso back toward the floor. Reverse the movement and use your abs to pull your torso back to a seated position.
Step 7
Stretch your hamstrings, hips, buttocks, abs and back every day. These muscles can pull and tighten in ways that affect your body's alignment. Regular stretching can help prevent poor posture.
Things You'll Need
- Exercise ball
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