5 Posture Correction Exercises You Should Do Daily at Work
Posture Correction Parramatta
Posture Correction is necessary to counteract the stresses we put our bodies through daily. The advances in technology now demand us to sit for prolonged periods and stare at a screen. Sitting forces our body into an unnatural position, which over time will lead to postural imbalances. While seated your spine is subject to constant forward bending, which over time, can cause micro trauma on a cellular level leaving you at higher risk of developing back pain over your life time. Muscular stiffness can develop in your neck, lower back, hips, chest and hamstrings as the muscles that cross these joints are under constant tension.
“If you spend more than 2 hours of your day seated you are more at risk of developing postural related health complications”
As clinicians, we cannot stress the importance of preventative care for Posture Correction to ensure optimal health. You may be unaware of these micro stresses your body is being exposed too as the effect is not immediate. In today’s workplace, common repetitive stresses involve; prolonged sitting, bending, lifting, pushing, pulling, carrying a bag on one shoulder, continuous typing, mouse use and excessive phone and tablet use.
Health Implications of Poor Posture
If you spend more than 2 hours of your day seated and are not engaging in a well structured exercise routine, you are at an increased risk of developing postural imbalances. The health implications associated with poor posture range from spinal curvature, nerve constriction, soreness and pain, headaches, neck pain, poor circulation, restricted lung capacity, increased stress on joints and muscles, poor digestion, quicker fatigue. Typical signs and symptoms include:
- Forward head carriage
- Eneven shoulders
- Forward or rounded shoulders
- Hunched mid or upper back
- Increased curve in lower back
- Tilting in your pelvis
- Spinal scoliosis
Try These Simple Assessments
- Can you touch you toes pain free?
- Can your hands make contact behind your back in both directions?
- Are you able to sit cross legged comfortably?
- Can you put your jacket on without any shoulder pain?
- Can you look left and right without pain?
If you answered NO to any of the questions above, we recommended scheduling a 30-minute GAP FREE Exercise Physiology appointment with one of our health professionals. During this appointment your practitioner will complete a comprehensive postural assessment to determine whether you have any postural imbalances that need addressing.
Learn How to Live a Pain Free Live
Our bodies are extremely smart and have the ability to adapt to our environment and will continually make minor adjustments to keep up with our bad habits. For example, if you sit with slouched posture, your neck and head position will still adjust to ensure your eyes still look straight ahead. This then changes the natural curve in your neck leading to the development of an excessive curve forming. Remember, pain is your bodies way of telling you that it is under stress and needs help. In this case, turning to pain relief medicate will only mask the underlining issue and not treat the core problem.
At AMS, either our Physiotherapist or Exercise Physiologist will thoroughly assess you to identify the root cause of your pain. Once this has been established, implementing a specifically tailored treatment regime is key is ensuring a positive outcome. Don’t let pain affect your quality of live!
5 Exercises to Help You Reduce Spinal Stress & Pain
To address Posture Correction, we recommend you implemented these exercises as part of your daily work routine. Try set an alert to prompt you on every hour to complete these exercises. The seated shoulder squeeze, seated hamstrings stretch and neck retraction can all be done at your desk while you continue to work. You should aim to change your postural position every 30 minutes.
Seated Shoulder Squeezes
Shoulder squeezes or postural resets are a great exercise to help reset your posture if are in for a long day at your desk. As you roll your shoulders back you will feel the muscles between your shoulder blades activating. This exercise can be performed while at your desk. We recommend performing this exercise every hour you spend seated. Follow the exercise instructions below.
- Sit upright elongating your torso to the ceiling
- Gently roll your shoulders back squeezing your shoulder blades together
- Ensure your shoulders stay depressed and do not rise up
- Hold each reset for 2 seconds
- Repeat movement 10 times every hour seated
Upper Trapezius Stretch
Normally, we would not promote this posture, however for the purpose of this upper trape stretch this position is really effective. We tend to develop muscular tension in this particular muscle group by hunching our shoulders from resting our elbows on a desk. The aim of this stretch is to release the muscle to avoid accumulative stress. You should feel a stretch at the base of your neck.
- Stand upright and place the back of your hands together
- Your thumbs should be pointing upwards to the ceiling
- Drop your chest allowing your upper back to round
- Force your shoulders forward as far as possible
- Finally, press the back of your hands together
Seated Hamstring Stretch
In a seated position, our knees tend to be constantly bent which shortens the length of our hamstring muscle. If you are inactive, over time your mobility will begin to reduce and you might find yourself unable to touch your toes. Shortened hamstrings can pull on your pelvis, decreasing the curve in your lower back. This is a great hamstring stretch that can be done under your desk at work.
- Sit upright towards the edge of your chair
- Straighten one leg and place your heel on the ground pulling toes towards you
- Hinge at the hip by slowly leaning forward until you feel your hamstring stretching
- Ensure you do not round through your back when leaning forward
- Hold this position for 30-60 seconds and repeat every hour
Standing Chest Stretch
Rounding of the shoulders is one of the more common postural imbalances and has a direct implication with developing shoulder and neck pain. If you shoulders are not aligned correctly it will alter your range of motion and restrict your capacity to lift overhead without compromising your lower back. If your shoulders are restricted your body will compensate and adapt by loading other joints to achieve the required movement.
- Standing tall and place the inside of your elbow again a wall
- Ensure your elbow is in line with shoulder and your stance is strong
- Slowly rotated your body away from your anchored elbow
- You will begin to feel a stretch across your chest. Hold for 30 seconds
Seated or Standing Neck Retraction
Prolonged sitting, lack of physical activity and increased screen time is contributing to early onset spinal degeneration. In particular, our health practitioners are seeing an increased change in the curve of individuals cervical (neck) spines. In some case we are seeing a complete shift of the natural curve. This exercise is helps reset your head on top of your shoulders eliminating any forward head carriage.
- Seated or standing, ensure your trunk is positioned upright
- Draw your shoulders back slightly
- Tuck your chin slightly so your head is in a neutral position
- Now, draw your head back across a horizontal line
- Hold position for 5-10 seconds and release. Repeat 10 repetitions
Correct Sitting Alignment
Correct ergonomic setup in conjunction with sitting properly is key is reducing the stress and unnatural load placed on your spine and pelvis. Workplaces are starting to introduce stand up desks allowing you to regularly change your posture throughout your work day. We recommend making the following adjustments if you aren’t already doing any of the following:
- Do not sit with your legs crossed at any time
- Your feet should remain flat on the ground
- Ensure your chair height is adjusted so your hips are higher than knees
- When seated your elbows should be slightly higher than your desk
- Adjust your monitor so the middle of the screen is at your eye level
The team at AMS are experts in diagnosing, treating and managing back and neck pain. Book in now so we can make sure you are performing at your best!