We’ve all been there, sitting at work for hours on end and starting to feel some aches and pains. We may have also been told that if we sit up straight and squeeze our shoulders back and that will improve our posture and manage those aches and pains. However, if you’ve tried this, you’ll find it can be quite difficult to sustain for any long period. This is because our posture is built to be DYNAMIC, meaning the body is built for mobility and movement, and not to sit in a desk all day.
The reason for this is that the tissues that make up our muscles and tendons are viscoelastic, meaning that after a period of time of stress/strain they are subject to deformation. The other reason for this is something called mechanoreceptors. These small receptors respond to movement and if we don’t move for a period of time they start to turn off. These receptors are important to help your brain know where your body is, they help to activate postural muscles, and can help respond to external forces such as gravity. If they don’t work effectively our muscles become weakened and can lead to muscular dysfunctions and pain if not addressed.
What can we do?
We can change our mindset from having ‘perfect posture’ to thinking ‘our best posture is our next posture’. The human body is built to move and movement helps us to interact with our environment and prevents our viscoelastic tissues from strain and deformation. The is best example of this is the sit to stand desk. Generally, static standing is no better than static sitting but these adjustable work stations allow you to change your position throughout the day which will keep your posture dynamic!
Give it a go this week. If your workplace is suitable, try breaking up your sitting every 30-60 minutes. This may be by simply walking to the kitchen or to a colleague. It may be transitioning to a sit/stand desk, or even adding a 3 minute stretch routine in your workplace. You will be surprised at the difference these small changes can make.
If you need any assistance with making these changes or how you can apply them to your day to day life contact us to find out more.
