Our modern lives involve more convenience than ever. Which can also mean less activity. Especially now, when many more people are working and taking classes from home – often in a workspace that is not ergonomically sound. We spend cumulative years of our lives in a sitting position and often slouch forward when studying, working, driving or sitting to eat. This has a significant impact on our bodies by creating various muscle imbalances.

When you hunch forward at a desk, your body is not correctly aligned, forcing some muscles to work incredibly hard all day long while others get weaker. Sitting in the same position for a prolonged period trains our muscles to shorten, lengthen or even reshape. This results in muscle imbalances allowing our body and muscles to be pulled into an incorrect posture.

A great number of people suffer from negative effects of bad posture – when the spine is positioned in an unnatural placement and spinal curves are emphasized resulting in increased stress on the joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments. Prolonged poor positioning results in a buildup of pressure in the surrounding soft tissue. Often this manifests in chronic back, shoulder and neck pain. Half of all working Americans say they have back pain symptoms, according to the American Chiropractic Association.

So what should we be doing to improve posture? Posture can be improved over time by correcting muscular imbalances through active therapy and strength training. Your head should be over your pelvis because this position creates the least stress on your muscles and is the best alignment for your body.

First, examine your workspace. The key to a successful home set up is an adjustable one. Optimally, this should include an ergonomic mouse, adjustable keyboard and desk, movable footrest, and a chair with adjustable lumbar support. You can also support your spine with a pillow or rolled-up towel behind your lower back. Wear glasses that shield against blue light, which is emitted by screens and phones, to help reduce eyestrain and minimize headaches. Experts also recommend getting up regularly to take a break and move around.

Work on strength training while sitting in your desk chair by using a posture corrector or wobble cushion. Using a foam roller on the floor is also a good option for counteracting a day of hunching at a computer because it opens up your shoulders and back. The roller gives you a leverage point to stretch from or bend back over. Stretching, in conjunction with strengthening back muscles, is one of the best ways of correcting posture.

Massage therapy is another way to work toward better posture by allowing the body to reinforce healthy and natural movements. Deep tissue massage is a form of soft tissue release consisting of a manual hands-on approach alleviating stress and tension that has built up in the body’s soft tissues. It relaxes the overworked and sore muscles resulting from bad posture and allows the body to relax into its natural alignment. Specifically, thoracic spine therapy helps alleviate mid-back tension felt as a result of long days at the computer. This promotes a rotational pattern through the mid-back which helps alleviate rounding of the shoulders and excessive flexion of the spine.

With deep pressure reaching and stretching out the muscle fibers and producing increased blood circulation to the muscles, the goal of deep tissue massage is reduced pain and increased range of movement. This will lengthen tight muscles and once lengthened, the opposing muscles, which have been stretched and weakened from holding the unnatural position, can begin to strengthen.

Bliss on Broadway is open again and offering all services, including customized massage therapy, by appointment only. Call us at 562-439-4333. You can also purchase a gift certificate now for services in the future.