I Have Poor Posture: What Can Help?

If you’re suffering from back, shoulder, or neck pain, the problem may be as simple as your posture. 

If you’ve gotten used to hunching your shoulders and extending your neck while at your computer, you’re straining muscles and other soft tissue. You also strain the muscles and tissue if you read in bed at night without  a pillow supporting your head.

These two examples of incorrect posture are common causes of spinal misalignment and chronic pain. 

At Peninsula Orthopedic Associates, our board-certified orthopedic surgeons and physical medicine specialists treat many cases of back pain and other musculoskeletal pain caused by poor posture. 

To ascertain the cause of your discomfort, we:

• Review your symptoms
• Ask you questions
• Have you perform physical movements
• Manipulate the affected area
• Order X-rays and possibly other tests 

If poor posture is the cause of your pain, we provide guidance on correct posture for standing and sitting, and likely prescribe physical therapy to undo years of poor posture. Starting with PT, here are some strategies we recommend to correct longstanding poor posture habits. 

Physical therapy 

Our partner physical therapists are conveniently located across the street from our Daly City, California, office. 

Your therapist develops a personalized plan based on your posture habits. Do your head and shoulders lean forward in front of your body when you stand or walk? This habit throws your entire body off balance, placing you at risk of a fall. 

Likewise, if your head and shoulders are hunched forward over your computer for hours at a time, you’re likely to experience neck, shoulder, and/or back pain. 

In physical therapy, you learn correct posture while sitting and standing. When standing, your ears should be aligned with your shoulders with your body in a straight line from head to toe and your weight distributed evenly on both feet. 

Your therapist uses a variety of active and passive modalities to help you strengthen weak muscles while you practice approximations of correct posture. 

Use ergonomics 

Your doctor and therapist advise you on proper ergonomics when standing and sitting at a desk or using a computer. Ergonomic chairs provide lumbar support for your lower back. If you spend hours at a computer, proper lumbar support is essential. 

Your arms should be at a 90-degree angle when using a keyboard, and your feet should be flat on the floor. Your head, shoulders, and hips should be aligned. 

One exercise that helps is the chin tuck, a move you can use when sitting at the computer to help you align your head and shoulders with your hips. 

Learn to take breaks 

Your body is made to move. Hip flexors become tight from prolonged sitting. If you sit at a computer during the day, set a timer and get up and move every half hour. Perform some of the stretches you’ve learned in physical therapy to open up your chest and relieve your neck and shoulder muscles. 

Try yoga or tai chi  

When we give you the green light, try yoga or tai chi. Both help you strengthen core and back muscles that are crucial to maintaining correct posture. They also help you maintain proper joint alignment. 

Build self-awareness

It’s easy to revert to old habits. Use a band around your wrist to remind you to practice your new, correct posture throughout the day. 

Call us at Peninsula Orthopedic Associates or request an appointment through our online portal today for all your musculoskeletal concerns. We have offices in Daly City and satellite offices in Menlo Park and Los Gatos, California.