Desk Posture: It Can Make or Break You

Protracted Shoulders

By the end of a long workday, especially if you have a desk job,you may find that your neck, shoulders and back are aching and thatyour legs feel very tight. Day in and day out you may spend a largeportion of your day sitting behind a desk with your eyes glued to acomputer screen, and it may be hours before you budge from thatposition. Besides the fact that sitting in one position for extendedperiods of time is not conducive to calorie burning, it can also bevery hard on the body if proper posture is not maintained. In thisarticle we will discuss the importance of good posture, how to preventmuscle imbalances, how to treat existing imbalances and how to properlysit at your desk.

When considering movement and the human body, one must take intoaccount the kinetic chain. According to NASM, the kinetic chain is “thecombination and interrelation of the nervous, muscular, and skeletalsystems”. Much like the old saying that you are only as strong as yourweakest link, the same applies to the human body. When one piece of thekinetic chain is not properly functioning, it can alter the rest of theoperating systems. Therefore, “optimum posture and alignment providesoptimum structural and functional efficiency to the kinetic chain,”(Clark and Russell 2009).

Structural efficiency is “the alignment of themusculoskeletal system that allows our center of gravity to bemaintained over our base of support,” (Clark and Lucett 2008). This isstating that good posture allows our body to support our own weightwithout causing stress on isolated parts of our body, such as our back.Functional efficiency is “the ability of theneuromuscular system to monitor and manipulate movement duringfunctional tasks using the least amount of energy, creating the leastamount of stress on the kinetic chain,” (Clark and Lucett 2008).Functional efficiency is similar to structural efficiency, except thatit refers to our bodies in motion while doing daily tasks. These twoterms help us to understand that good posture is critical in helping usperform daily tasks in the most efficient and pain free way possible.When one is unable to maintain good “balanced “ posture, muscleimbalances are likely to occur.

Muscle imbalances can occur because of one of thefollowing reasons: postural stress, pattern overload, repetitivemovement, lack of core stability, or lack of neuromuscular efficiency(Clark and Russell 2009). If one muscle is too tight, it can affect thequality of movement in the rest of the body. The process that describeshow this works is called altered reciprocal inhibition.According to Clark and Lucett, altered reciprocal inhibition is theconcept of muscle inhibition caused by a tight muscle, which decreasesthe neural drive of its functional opposing muscle. This can produce synergistic dominance and ultimately alter your movement patterns, causing dysfunction within the kinetic chain

Synergistic dominance is “the neuromuscularphenomenon that occurs when synergists take over function for a weak orinhibited prime mover,” (Clark and Lucett 2008). For example: if youhave a tight hip flexor, it leads to reciprocal inhibition of thegluteus maximus (Clark and Lucett 2008). The result is that thesynergists for hip flexion (hamstrings, adductors and some backmuscles) are working overtime to compensate for those muscles not ableto function properly. This can explain tightness in the hamstrings,adductors and lower back. When this occurs, it is crucial that youstretch the tight muscles and strengthen the weak ones. If you tend tohunch your shoulders, your pectoral muscles are contracted and yourupper back muscles (rhomboids, mid/lower traps) are stretched. In orderto improve your posture you will need to stretch the tight muscles (thepectoral muscles), and strengthen the weak muscles (rhomboids,mid/lower traps).

Swayback Posture

The best way to prevent altered reciprocal inhibition andsynergistic dominance is to maintain proper posture on a daily basis.While at work sitting at your desk keeping good posture can bedifficult, but there are a few things that you can do to optimize yourbody positioning. Dr. Haselkorn recommends making the followingadjustments to your workspace to improve the ergonomics:

• Lower the height of your chair so that your back touches the backof the chair and your feet rest firmly on the floor slightly in frontof you.
• Center the keyboard in front of you and position your screen so that the toolbar is eyelevel for you.
• The keyboard and mouse should be moved close to the edge of the deskand your wrists should be supported by a gel pad or wrist support.
• Avoid repetitive gripping of the mouse.
• Never reach for anything! Keep commonly used items close.
• Do finger, wrist and hand exercises.

These tips can help you organize your workspace in a way that willhelp you to maintain proper posture. At Livestrong.com they alsorecommend that you sit facing your desk with your weight evenlydistributed across both hips. Always sit with your shoulders pulledback and your back straight. To help achieve proper posture, you canplace a rolled up towel or small pillow behind the natural curve ofyour lower back. Try to avoid craning your neck to look at documents;keep everything important straight in front of your face. If you spendlots of time on the phone, it would be a good idea to get a headset sothat you are not holding the phone between your shoulder and your ear.

As we’ve discussed in previous articles, taking regular stretchbreaks can also help to maintain proper length-tension relationships inthe muscles and prevent synergistic dominance. Working on your posture,stretching the tight muscles, and strengthening the weak muscles willhelp to alleviate some of those aches and pains you normally feel atthe end of the day. Once you are able to reverse the muscle imbalancesand maintain good posture, you will be amazed at how much better youfeel physically, mentally and emotionally.

Written By: Kinsey Cave
Edited By: Matt Trudo, MS

References:

Clark, M., & Russell, A. (2009). Postural Considerations. NasmOptimum Performance Training for the Enhancement Specialist (pp. 5-23).Calabasas, CA: NASM.

Clark, M. A., Lucett, S., & Corn, R. J. (2008). NASM essentialsof personal fitness training (3. ed.). philadelphia: wolters kluwer.

Correct Posture At A Desk. (n.d.). LIVESTRONG.COM – Health, Fitness,Lifestyle. Retrieved November 8, 2010, fromhttp://www.livestrong.com/article/88933-correct-posture-desk/

Haselkorn, A. (n.d.). Proper Posture & Ergonomic Tips. Dr. AlexHaselkorn, M.D., P.A.. Retrieved November 8, 2010, fromhttp://www.wristhand.com/ergo