Sit up and watch your posture

Everybody knows about posture, even from an early age our parents and grandparents will have told us to sit up tall and “don’t slouch!” Maybe the odd few people had to endure balancing a book on their heads like myself.  However the majority of people do not sit well, or work in a good posture.

Why have people’s posture got progressively worse?

Modern day society and the progression of technology have led to an increase in computer gaming, internet surfing and in-home entertainment systems which, as awesome and entertaining as they are, encourage us to stay indoors and engage with this technology.  Prolonged watching of monitors and TV screens dries our eyes out and encourages us to slouch progressively. This slouching repeated over time develops into a learned habit which ultimately progresses into back pain, neck soreness, headaches and sometimes even RSI in the working environment.

Common causes of postural-related problems

  • Pain from pre-existing conditions such as osteo-arthritis, disc dysfunction or injury
  • Poor work station conditions for example, computer screen height and resolution, desk height and arrangement, chair depth and height.
  • Type of employment, such as carpet fitters, shop assistants or painters
  • Weakness in the core stability and postural muscles.

Physiotherapists commonly see patients presenting with all sorts of muscular aches, pains and other complaints. A lot of the time these can be due to postural dysfunction whether its work, sport or hobby based. Being highly trained in biomechanics and the way a body should move Physiotherapists are the best when it comes to resolving postural issues. They can assess how you move, identify areas of weakness which need improvement and develop a strengthening and conditioning plan to improve a person’s posture during static and moving positions.  They are also able to provide ergonomic advice on how to improve either your work station or the way you work to prevent any further problems occurring.

If you feel fed up with a persistent neck or back ache after work and prolonged positions, or have any other musculoskeletal condition give one of our Chartered Physiotherapists a call today on 01202 725090.