'Slouch' at Your Desk? How Bad Posture Affects Your Body...

By:  Nattie Marston, NASM-CES

“SIT UP STRAIGHT!” Three words I often heard when I was younger, but chose to ignore.  Why do I need to sit up straight when it feels more comfortable to slouch?  It wasn't until later in life that I understood the importance of GOOD POSTURE and how it can affect the way you walk, run, throw, stand and sit during daily activities.

Many of us spend a significant amount of time SITTING…  whether it’s at a desk, in rush hour traffic, or simply watching TV.  When we sit for long periods of time, there is more pressure on the vertebral discs than when we're standing.  According to the International Sports Sciences Association, while sitting with poor posture, the abdominal “corset” relaxes, which causes majority of your body weight to load the discs and the back loses support.  

Continuing to practice poor posture can cause several health issues down the road, but learning useful tools to make small corrections can make a huge difference in how you feel and how you move!

 WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN YOU “SLOUCH” AT YOUR DESK?

• Shoulders round and head falls forward of the line of gravity, adding pressure to the neck and shoulder joints 
• Headaches occur due to lack of support for the cervical spine
• Muscle imbalances develop
• Exaggerated curvature – affecting balance and gait
• Body becomes misaligned - spine lacks support to maintain stability
• Pressure on ribs and diaphragm
• Fatigue – muscles have to work harder to keep the spine stable & protected
• Pain in the neck, shoulders, back, hips, knees and ankles can develop
• Pinched nerves - vertebrae become misaligned, irritating spinal nerves 

TIPS AT WORK:

• Sit with feet flat on the floor, knees level with your hips/slightly higher
• Move your computer directly in front of your face
• If your back is not supported in your chair, place a rolled up towel or buy a lumbar support pillow to place behind your lower back.
• Adjust your desk chair so that your arms can relax on the arm rests or remain fairly straight when using the keyboard
• Sit in your chair so that your shoulders face straight ahead
• If reading documents, bring them closer to you so you don’t strain your neck looking down at your desk
• Engage your core! (see exercise below)
• Drink water – this will not only help loosen up your muscles, but it will allow you to get up from your desk to move your body and walk to the bathroom.
• RELAX! When in stress-mode, we tend to tense up our muscles often holding the stress in our shoulders, which causes them to hike upward and forward, causing the neck to tighten. 
• BREATHE… mindful breathing helps relax the body – reducing the intensity of pain, as well as suppressing stress hormones, like adrenaline and cortisol, in the bloodstream. Take a BIG inhale until your lungs are completely filled and slowly exhale out until the lungs feel empty.  Repeat a few times until your shoulders and neck begin to relax. 

EXERCISES AT YOUR DESK:  Practice these few exercises that you can do right at your desk!

*Stretch:  chest/pec muscles, lats, hip flexors

*Strengthen: upper back muscles, shoulders & core/abdominals

Neck Lateral Flexion: Looking straight ahead, slowly tilt one ear toward the shoulder, hold for 5 seconds. Repeat 5x on each side.

Shoulder blade squeezes: Relax your shoulders, arms at your sides; squeeze your shoulder blades together without heightening your shoulders; hold for 3 seconds, repeat 10x.

Abdominal Tucks: Tight and tuck in the lower abs to the spine (slightly tilting the pelvis under); hold 5 seconds and then release, repeat 20x.

Chest Stretch: Lace fingers behind your back and squeeze your shoulder blades together; slowly, raise and straighten the arms.  Hold for 5 seconds, repeat 10x.

Standing Side-Bend Stretch (lats): While standing, raise your right arm over your head and lean to the left from the hip; hold for 10 seconds on each side.

Standing Hip and Thigh Stretch: Holding onto wall or backrest of chair, bend knee, and grab foot; pull foot towards buttock until you feel a stretch in the front of your thigh without arching the back; hold 20 seconds and switch legs.