Postural Strain
Postural Strain
With the increase of a sedentary lifestyle this becomes more and more of a problem.
The use of computers, phones and tablets has further increased the risks of developing neck and back pain from poor posture. This leads to Postural strain where the muscles and ligaments are under constant strain and start to cause pain usually in the back and neck.

Standing Position
It is normal to have a lumbar curve in the low back and it is normal to have the middle back curved slightly the other way before meeting the neck. Normal posture should be a straight line from your ears to your shoulders to your hips. You can check how bad your posture is by standing by a wall with your feet a few inches away from the wall. Can you get your bottom and shoulders against the wall and rest the crown of your head also on the wall. If not you need to work on stretching your back. Try and imagine your head is being pulled up by a rope and make yourself as tall as possible.
Sitting in a Chair
Your bottom should touch the back of the chair and your low back should be well supported. Ideally you should not cross your legs and your feet should rest on the floor with the hips and knees at around 90 degrees.
In the Office

If you are in an office you should have a chair with a form of lumbar support. Your shoulders should be held back and roughly level with your ears. If you are using a computer your mouse position should allow you to rest your elbow relaxed by your side.
You should fix the height of your office chair so that your hips and knees are at a right angle making sure that your knees are not higher than your hips as this may encourage slouching.
Your computer monitor should be positioned in front of you with the screen around eye level to maintain good neck posture.
Ideally if you have a desk/computer-based job you should move every hour for a minute or so. 

Examples of exercises to be done at your desk are:

  1. Turn your head each way x5
  2. Tuck in your chin and stretch head up to make yourself taller
  3. Roll your shoulders x 5 one way and x5 the other direction
  4. Push your shoulder blades back hold and release x 5
  5. Stretch both arms up above your head x 5
  6. With your hand on your head pull it sideways keeping the opposite shoulder down. Feel the stretch Repeat x5 each side.
  7. Stand up by your desk and stretch your body up and then lean back to stretch the front of your hips.

Other postural exercises are:

  1. Stand by the wall and do the chin tucks making the crown of your head slide up the wall
  2. Lie on the floor knees bent and roll over a roller or roll your-self back over the arm of a chair.
This can also be performed at the gym over a Swiss ball

Your physiotherapist can check the reason for any other tightness and give you the appropriate stretches.

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