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Ways
to Improve Your Posture
by: Megan Carpenter,
MSPT
Many occupations today require individuals to sit at a desk or in front
of a computer for prolonged periods of time. In addition,
throughout the day, we are often reaching and bending forward to
retrieve objects. These types of activities can put stress on the
neck, upper and lower back, and shoulders. Over time, poor posture
combined with prolonged or repetitive activities may lead to physical
problems, such as neck and back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shoulder
impingement, and bulging discs. As a result, it becomes more and
more important to practice “good posture” throughout the day.
The focus of this
article is to stimulate postural awareness and introduce simple
(postural) strengthening and stretching exercises that can be performed
daily. The first step in practicing good posture is becoming
aware of your work environment. Take notice of your computer
set-up, phone position, chair position and how these factors might
affect your body position. It is important to recognize that
maintaining neutral postural alignment is important whether you are
sitting at a desk, watching television at home, or sitting in a movie
theater.
Tips
for maintaining good posture when sitting at a desk:
Back Support:
Make sure that you sit in a chair with back support. You should
allow the back of the chair to support your back instead of sitting
towards the front edge of the seat. Unsupported sitting places a large
amount of pressure on the discs in your spine. If you feel that your
chair does not have enough lower back support, try placing a small towel
roll (2 to 4 inch diameter) behind the curve of your lower back.
Computer position:
The computer screen and keyboard shoulder ideally be placed directly in
front of you so that your neck and trunk face straight ahead. The
computer screen should be positioned at eye level. This means that
you should not have to tilt your head slightly up or down to properly see
the screen.
Forearm, Hand/Wrist position:
Support the forearms by letting your elbows rest on the arm rests of your
chair. The computer keyboard should be close to the level of your
elbows, so that you do not have to raise your hands too high or too low to
reach the keys. Try to maintain neutral alignment of your
wrist/hand by resting your wrists on a computer pad as you type.
Chair
Height:
Your chair height may need to be adjusted to
maintain (above) neutral wrist position. Ideally, the hips and knees
should be in line. You do not want your hip position below the level
of your knees. This would place strain on your lower back and
encourage tightness of the hip flexor muscles.
Click here for:
6 Postural Exercises |
