Posture correction

[Traffic]

Hi,

I work long hours at a desk (albeit an adjustable one) however I am getting more and more little back and neck complaints, heading deep into my forties I feel it's now or never for me to correct my posture and make it better. Looking in the mirror I can see I am a bit hunched these days and when at home, in the evenings I often sit a little hunched on the edge of the sofa when not lying down.

I have seen various posture correction devices, but I'd imagine many of them are useless or even harmful so I was wondering if there is a good go-to that is respected that people can recommend?

Thanks

[Bluevanman]

https://youtu.be/Ci5hPz9T1gw

[Kev_Mk3]

handy thanks

[Ashfordian]

Some sort of bar hang exercise, preferably from a bar, but a door frame works. Main thing is to activate the upper back muscles and un-weight the feet, even if you do not take the feet off the ground. More advanced would be moving to the pull-up/chin-up but this is not required just to fix posture.

Australian Row/Pull up also does similar in strengthening the required back muscles.

[d_a_n1979]

Traffic said:

Hi,

I work long hours at a desk (albeit an adjustable one) however I am getting more and more little back and neck complaints, heading deep into my forties I feel it's now or never for me to correct my posture and make it better. Looking in the mirror I can see I am a bit hunched these days and when at home, in the evenings I often sit a little hunched on the edge of the sofa when not lying down.

I have seen various posture correction devices, but I'd imagine many of them are useless or even harmful so I was wondering if there is a good go-to that is respected that people can recommend?

Thanks

Like you I'm sat in my office a lot (I do move between the office and living room, but still sat down). However when I'm on calls I tend to walk around

I am a weightlifter (ex competitive powerlifter, stone lifter etc) and have always done pull ups, chin ups, hangs etc and they help, a LOT - they don't just decompress your spine, but they aid with shoulder mobility & shoulder joint health, neck mobility and neck health etc and would highly recommend them

I know not everyone has a chin up bar/power cube spugged away in their garage to use; but if you go to a gym or have room for one (there are freestanding ones that you can buy and they can be left outside easy enough, or in a garage/room etc) then I'd deffo look at that option

There's a shed load of vids on YT, well worth watching and you can take from them what you will

[wyson]

Personal trainer might help. Mine was always correcting my posture through exercise and stretching.

[popeyewhite]

wyson said:

Personal trainer might help. Mine was always correcting my posture through exercise and stretching.

Yeah OP, see a decent PT or physio. Just make sure there's no serious muscle imbalance before you go hanging off a bar - in itself a very good exercise btw.

[Traffic]

Will try and follow some of these.

Was there a conclusion on the posture correction devices?

[M1AGM]

Traffic said:

Will try and follow some of these.

Was there a conclusion on the posture correction devices?

The problem with devices that do posture correction is that they merely hold your neck/back in the correct position for a period of time with no muscles being activated. This then leads to relapse when you remove the device because the muscles are not being trained to hold that position. The only way to improve posture long term is to train the body/muscles to support your skeleton in the correct form, which is by physical therapy/exercise. Door/bar hangs are surprisingly effective at ‘unrounding’ shoulders as well as unloading the spine if done correctly, as is stretching (when warmed up) and taking regular breaks from your desk by just walking around.

[Herr Schnell]

Took a course with an Alexander Technique instructor about twenty years ago and found it remarkable in the way it improved my posture and movement. Still sit and move that way now. Highly recommend it.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/alexander-technique/

[dhutch]

Bluevanman said:

Perfect Posture in 100 Seconds Dr. Jon Saunders
https://youtu.be/Ci5hPz9T1gw

I like that, and spend to much time sitting a bit slouched. Will also help with rounded shoulders too.

[awooga]

My old boss used to sit on a swiss ball to sort his back out. Cheaper than a posh chair.

[Peanut Gallery]

awooga said:

My old boss used to sit on a swiss ball to sort his back out. Cheaper than a posh chair.

This - I bought one and it really helps - I need to have a small step to raise it up so my legs are horizontal, but it really pushes me to sit up straight, and it is very exhausting to sit on, like I can only really manage 20 min at a time, highly recommend it!

[KobayashiMaru86]

Went to an osteopath for lower back. Loads of effective stretches but the cause is weak glutes which I need to work on. I walk loads but never activate them effectively to use them

[redrabbit29]

Interesting thread as I'm 40 and now WFH all the time doing a desk job

For at least 15 years I've suffered with neck and shoulder pain. It varies on intensity.

It's often on my right side and my neck doesn't bend that well to one side when turning my head. It often aches. Sometimes it will throb and I will struggle to stretch as it's just so stiff and horrible.

I don't know what to do. Physios just say "try this stretch" but it often feels like it's just not effective. A bit like telling someone who can't sleep to "try and stop thinking about it so much". It's like there's some other issue, and part of me wonders if it's just me, like a physiological part of my neck and shoulders is just going to be like this for life.

Not working - like on holiday doesn't feel much different.

I'm also from a weight lifting background but don't think this is related. Eg no injuries or trauma which appear that relevant. I no longer lift -other than just casual gym work and some running.

[M1AGM]

redrabbit29 said:

Interesting thread as I'm 40 and now WFH all the time doing a desk job

For at least 15 years I've suffered with neck and shoulder pain. It varies on intensity.

It's often on my right side and my neck doesn't bend that well to one side when turning my head. It often aches. Sometimes it will throb and I will struggle to stretch as it's just so stiff and horrible.

I don't know what to do. Physios just say "try this stretch" but it often feels like it's just not effective. A bit like telling someone who can't sleep to "try and stop thinking about it so much". It's like there's some other issue, and part of me wonders if it's just me, like a physiological part of my neck and shoulders is just going to be like this for life.

Not working - like on holiday doesn't feel much different.

I'm also from a weight lifting background but don't think this is related. Eg no injuries or trauma which appear that relevant. I no longer lift -other than just casual gym work and some running.

My advice would be to find a good chiropractor to have a look at you.

[spikeyhead]

redrabbit29 said:

Interesting thread as I'm 40 and now WFH all the time doing a desk job

Get a sit stand desk and spend some time standing. Spending some of the time standing on one leg helps even more

[redrabbit29]

spikeyhead said:

Get a sit stand desk and spend some time standing. Spending some of the time standing on one leg helps even more

Thanks - I have one actually and it is good. I also have a soft padded platform thing to stand on. It's useful for calls or to break the day up. I try to alternate through the day.

Not heard the one leg thing but I'll try that

M1AGM said:

My advice would be to find a good chiropractor to have a look at you.

Out of interest why are you suggesting this rather than a physio, osteo, strength or any other ten things? Is it personal experience or just something you think?

I did go for about 30 chiropractic appointments about 10 years ago for an unrelated back issue. Each time I felt a lot better and lighter. The appointments were about £35 but very short - about 5-6 minutes or cracking each time. The problem subsided but I'm not sure it was due to the adjustments.

Definitely willing to try this for my neck and shoulders. It may be just something I should invest in routinely as it's a re occuring issue or something

[Stick Legs]

Stand up, feet shoulder width apart.
Put hands behind head & interlink fingers.
Push your elbows back as far as you can while keeping your head in the same place.
At the same time tilt your forward & back.
Do this once every hour or so throughout the day.

Looks odd.
Feels odd.

It will become easier and more comfortable to do.

It sorted my lower back out from sitting at s desk and will help your posture issue.

[M1AGM]

redrabbit29 said:

Out of interest why are you suggesting this rather than a physio, osteo, strength or any other ten things? Is it personal experience or just something you think?

I did go for about 30 chiropractic appointments about 10 years ago for an unrelated back issue. Each time I felt a lot better and lighter. The appointments were about £35 but very short - about 5-6 minutes or cracking each time. The problem subsided but I'm not sure it was due to the adjustments.

Definitely willing to try this for my neck and shoulders. It may be just something I should invest in routinely as it's a re occuring issue or something

Hi. I had a serious lower back injury playing rugby in my prime which meant I had back spasms every 2-3 months making it nearly impossible to walk for a few days. As you can imagine thats not a great way for a young man to live. I had MRI scans, physio, injections and nothing made me better for any significant amount of time. The issue was damaged vertebrae squeezing on discs. I tried a few chiropractors where I lived at the time (leeds) and it didnt help that much either. This went on for 20 years. I moved to York 7-8 years ago and started using a chiro here and it was a gamechanger. I played rugby again, didnt have spasms for several months at a time, and over time and monthly visits I now cannot remember my last back episode. Monthly ‘checks’ and following some basic exercises was key. among other issues, a good example is I had a bursitis shoulder, was told by the top surgeon who scanned it that I need surgery. Mentioned it to my chiro and got given some simple exercises to do and hey presto a few months later the problem had gone, no surgery needed. My kids also go to the same chiro for joint pain and have excellent results, whereas the physio had no positive impact. I am a big convert to the chiro approach to health and think traditional medicine (drugs/operating) has plenty to learn outside of the pharma world. I would stress that not all chiropractic practitioners are the same so finding a good one for you is key. The ones that adjust you but also give you things to do at home, plus explaining exactly what is wrong and why, is a good indicator of knowing their stuff. Treating the cause rather than the symptoms is what they try to do. Each to their own, just passing on my experience.