How to Prevent Lordosis

Lordosis is an excessive amount of curvature in the lumbar spine. It is common and usually disappears when the patient bends forward. However, lordosis is more serious as a congenital spinal deformity where the failure of a vertebral segment to separate posteriorly in the presence of anterior growth causes the abnormality. The following steps will show how to prevent lordosis.

Instructions

• 1

  Maintain good posture if your back is already weak. Bending forward as if to touch your toes can further weaken the back's supporting structures and lead to further injuries.

• 2

  Stretch frequently at your desk. Place your arms over your head and press your upper back against your chair. Squeeze your buttocks (glutes) together hard to bring your hips forward and straighten your legs. This will result in your upper back being completely extended with the back of your legs against your chair.

• 3

  Do exercises to strengthen your glutes. Lie on the floor and practice squeezing your glutes as hard as you can to raise them off the floor.

• 4

  Sit only for short periods of time and ensure that you have good support for your lower back. You also may wish to consider a stand-up or kneeling desk that does not require you to maintain your legs at a right angle to your hips.

• 5

  Maintain your proper weight. Obesity, especially when the excess weight is on your abdomen, can cause lordosis.

• 6

  Treat specific diseases that can contribute to lordosis. Diseases that can affect the structural integrity of the spine include discitis, kyphosis, osteoporosis and spondylolisthesis.