If you sit at a desk all day, then you go home and watch shows or go on your phone, you might have experienced neck and/or shoulder pain. I am sure you have seen people in the office with their shoulders rounded forward. There is no quick fix for the matter but there are steps to take to improve the issue. The following steps will take time and patience and your body will thank you for it.
Before we dive into improving your posture, let’s first discuss how we got here.
When we sit in chairs at a computer, when we read a book, look at our phones, slouch on the couch and watch television, our gaze is downwards. These positions cause our head and shoulders to come forward. Keep this cycle going for a few years and your brain begins to recognize this as a position we want to stay in. Thus, the muscles responsible for forward head and shoulders become chronically tense. This is what needs to be addressed first.
The first step to fixing your posture is to relax the muscles under chronic tension. This can be done in the sauna, steam room, or by massaging the muscles. You can do a combination of these. This will tell the brain “we want these muscles to relax. If you spend much of your time at work, you can invest in a hard ball or massage gun. Using these tools during small breaks throughout the day can bring relief.
The next step is to stretch them out. We want to do neck and shoulder stretches that will pull everything down and back. There are tons of these stretches to choose from. The key is to find the ones that work and feel the best to you. Do them for merely 10 minutes a day, 3 days a week. Some of these stretches can also be done during work breaks. You can do 2 stretches each break for 1 minute each.
Following the stretch, you’re going to find exercises that isolate the antagonist muscle (opposite of muscles that are tense). This means you want to strengthen your upper and mid back muscles in an isolated fashion. The shoulder joint is the main one to focus on, so you must isolate each movement the shoulder is responsible for. It will help to strengthen the neck. The incorporation of exercises will require the investment of a gym membership or equipment for your home. You may be able to do some band exercises at work if the environment permits it.
The final piece of the puzzle is to perform multi-joint exercises that work the upper and mid back. Examples would be row and pull down variations. This will teach the brain and muscles to pull the head and shoulders back and restore your posture.
Stress management and sleep are areas that need to be addressed. Many people carry stress in their shoulders and neck. When your boss is extra annoying, your spouse triggered an argument, someone cut you off in traffic, we tend to get tense, causing the shoulders to rise and the head to lean. This can further exacerbate poor posture.
The way you sleep plays a role in your posture. If you sleep belly down, chances are your head is turned for hours to one side. This can cause an imbalance in your neck and shoulders, causing pain. If you sleep on your back or side without the proper neck support, the problem can progress.
This can be a very long process, but with consistency, you will see results. Dedicating 2 to 3 days a week to focus on improving posture can lead to life long pain relief and benefits. Some steps are trickier than others. It is always helpful to have a coach guide you through the process to ensure consistent progress. The coach can facilitate the massage, assist with stretches, find new stretches, progress exercises, and make any necessary adjustments.
Take this journey one day at a time. As long as you take this guide and tailor it to yourself, you can begin to see results as soon as 3 weeks. With patience, dedication, and education, any goal is achievable.
