Healthy @ Home Series: How can I correct my posture?

By Dr. Joshua Kiely, DC

As social distancing continues, I’m sure we’re all going a little stir-crazy spending so much time in our homes. If you’re anything like me, screen time has increased lately, and I’ve noticed my neck and back feel stiff some days. As a chiropractor, I serve many patients struggling with back pain, neck pain, and headaches, and I frequently hear “bad posture” blamed as the main culprit. The goal of this article is to help alleviate some of that achiness with simple tips and strategies you can use while you’re working from home, relaxing, and exercising.

What is the perfect posture?

Truth be told, the research we have to date does not support that any perfect posture exists. I remember the days of being told to sit up straight or I’d have to have a stick put down my back, but we need not fear the slouch! Instead, leading evidence tells us that experiencing a wide variety of postures and movements is the best strategy for preventing pain and discomfort. A lack of a defined perfect posture is actually a blessing because our bodies and our brains crave movement and variety.

I’m sure we’ve all had this interaction with someone before.

According to some of the leading researchers in the field of musculoskeletal injury and ergonomics, you have full permission to put your feet on the desk, recline in your chair, do jumping jacks at your desk, take a knee while you work, stand on one foot, cross your right leg over your left or vice-versa, or alternate - you get the point. There is no movement or posture that is off-limits. Limit your time in any one position, and you’ll find you can be much more comfortable while working, playing, and exercising.

Our body will tell us when it’s time to move, just like it tells us when it’s time to hydrate.

Pain from prolonged sitting is normal, but it also doesn’t have to be that way. We all have a robust pain-sensing system that interprets information provided from every joint, receptor, muscle and nerve in our body. This information is useful input that can help us to alter our position and activity to reduce pain or discomfort. When we listen to this system, and when we are proactive, we can alleviate minor pain signals and stressors that have the potential to lead to more debilitating pain or headaches.

When we are thirsty most of us don’t “save up our thirst” and drink 2 full litres of water at the end of the day - we get up, and have a drink. Movement should be no different, especially when most of us have the freedom to get up and move while working at home. When we’re achy, don’t “save up your aches” and spend 30 minutes exercising at night, instead, pop up, move around, take a short walk, stretch, or simply change positions. Your neck and back will thank you.

Just getting ready to quickly hydrate after a long day of saving up thirst and not drinking anything.

Build a new habit and feel better

Like any change in habits, it can be tough to get used to moving when we’re accustomed to sitting for long periods. Some strategies I find to be helpful include:

Don’t keep a water bottle at your desk - instead, when you’re thirsty, get up and go to the kitchen and have a drink.
Keep a yoga mat nearby to replace your chair occasionally - this gives you the option of kneeling, standing, or stretching while you work.
Set a timer on your watch or phone to remind yourself to move every 30 minutes or so.

Follow Canada’s Guidelines on Physical Activity

Alongside moving more during the day, following Canada’s guidelines on physical activity is a great way to keep healthy, both physically and mentally. For most of us, we should aim to perform 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise a week.

Cycling is great during the spring, and it’s only going to improve as we get closer to the Summer again!

An easy way to tell if you’re performing exercise at the right intensity is to use the “Talk Test”. While exercising at moderate intensity, you should be able to carry a conversation in short bouts while still breathing fairly comfortably - but you shouldn’t be able to babble on or sing a song at this exercise intensity.

To learn more about how simple, comfortable exercise can help with your physical and mental health check out my Healthy @ Home: Walking article.

Simple and effective tools for improving your workspace

Using a laptop for remote work is a blessing and a curse. The computer itself is not designed to be ergonomic for long periods of time, but the portability and versatility of a laptop allows us endless options for varying our workspace in order to keep us comfortable. Try out a few of the following strategies to avoid a stiff upper back and neck while working on a laptop from home.

Invest in a USB/Bluetooth mouse and keyboard. This will allow you to raise the laptop screen without having to place your hands/wrists in awkward positions.
Aim to spend some time in a “neutral position”. This article provides a few tips for setting up your workplace to be more “neutral”. It’s not essential to spend your whole day in this position, but you may find it helpful as one of the many postures you work through.
Use headphones with a built-in mic so you don’t have to hold your phone up to your ear for prolonged periods of time.
Try putting some textbooks or magazines, or if you have it, a stand, under the laptop to raise the monitor higher so you don’t have to look down at the screen all day.
Use a variety of chairs, tables and settings in your home to work from. As long as you can concentrate in a room, it can be used for work and provide some variety for you physically and mentally.

The all-you-can-eat buffet of ergonomics

I approach ergonomics a bit like an all-you-can-eat buffet. Just like a buffet, we have “main courses” that just about everyone will want to include, and “side dishes”, which some of us may like more than others and aren’t necessary but may be nice to have.

Don’t neglect the main dishes, but have fun with the sides (and desert?)

The “main courses” of this buffet are the things everyone will likely benefit from and include:

Use a variety of postures.
Move throughout the day and take breaks from your screen and from sitting.
Stay hydrated. This will force you to take breaks to get drinks and to use the washroom.
Ensure you’re eating well during the day. We don’t need hangry.
Try not to bring your work to bed with you - a good night’s sleep goes a long way to improving our moods and reducing our pain.
Avoid looking down at a screen all day, try to find a variety of placements for your screen.

The “side dishes” of this buffet are the things that are worth trying, and may make your working at home experience much more comfortable, but aren’t going to work for everyone. Take your pick from these and see what you think:

Kneel, stand on one foot, squat, and lunge while you’re working.
Stretch your hips, legs, chest, and back while working.
Walk around during your phone calls.
Have two or three areas of your house that you can use to work from.
Work outside in the yard or on the balcony if you have the option. Dress appropriately of course.

Check out my Instagram page for updates and tips for strategies and movements to keep your hips, knees, shoulders, back and neck feeling great.

Working at home? ⚡️

Give this little trick a try. It takes 2 seconds and helps you reset your posture so you can get more comfortable while you’re dialled into work.

My first line of defence against achiness is always moving and adding some v

Easy warmup ⚡️

Woke up and my hips were feeling tight so I created a quick video to show you how to fix that up in under 5 minutes.

Ran through this warmup circuit 3x and then got straight into my workout feeling much more prepared!

Warmups shoul

Reach out if you need anything

I’m here to help. My passion is movement and health, and right now it hurts not being able to go to work and do the things I love. I want to support my community during this time, and I’m open to suggestions on the best way to do that. This is uncharted territory for all of us. Let me know if there is something you’d love to learn about or if there is something your struggling with.

When we work together, we can get through anything, and this is no different.

Cheers,

Dr. Josh

Healthy @ Home Series: How can I correct my posture?