Office Work Posture – “rounded shoulders”
by connor whittall in Training
Majority of people within their early childhood or teens were told to ‘stop slouching’ or ‘stand up straight’ and don’t take these suggestions seriously which could lead to a posture called kyphosis.
However, a slight change in posture can have detrimental effect on daily activities. As the majority of the office workers with a statistic of 81% spending an average of 4-6 hours sitting down which can cause muscles to become tight and other to become inhibited, leading to a posture called kyphosis. Often complaining of pain, stiffness and a lack of mobility within the region.
Kyphosis is a condition where the top of the back is excessively curved and appears more rounded than normal. This curvature is in a specific region of the spinal column; The spinal column (or vertebral column) extends from the skull to the pelvis and is made up of 33 individual bones termed vertebrae. The vertebrae are stacked on top of each other group into four regions. The thoracic region which is the centre is the biggest of the columns as it contains 12 vertebras.
Therefore, mobility and movement within the spine surrounding musculature is important to limit that excessive curvature.
Here are three exercises for you to try next time you at the office or working from home
- Thoracic rotations- Set up in a quadruped position, then extend one leg out to the side. Rock your hips back towards your butt slightly, place one hand behind your head and rotate in towards the base arm with the shoulder and thoracic spine. Once you’ve reached your limit without compensating, rotate back out. 1 set ×10 reps each side
- Forearm wall sliders- Begin with your hands underneath your shoulders and your knees underneath your hips. Keeping your spine in neutral, bring your elbow towards your opposite knee. Reverse the motion and come past the starting point while following your elbow with your eyes. 1 set x 10 reps
- Cat camel- Breathe in through your nose and fill your lower and upper back with air. Try not to shrug towards your ears as you breathe in. As you exhale through your mouth, posteriorly tilt your pelvis and round both your upper and lower back. This movement should ideally be done on your hands and knees. 1 set x 10 reps
If you’re an office worker, why not give these a go? Give us a tweet if these aid in anyway possible. Don’t let stiffness get you down!!
Watch these videos and give it ago: