How to stop slouching as an adult
A few easy-to-follow guidelines can help you maintain good posture and alleviate back pain
HECK your shoulders. Unless you’re a pageant queen, chances are they’re rounded forward right now as you’re reading. Your chin is probably out a little farther forward than it should be, too.
Americans are slouchy people these days, and it triggers everything from back pain to bad moods. But there’s hope: Even adults who’ve been slouching for decades can turn the bad habit around.
“Neck and back pain is really common. In fact, it’s the second most common reason people see a doctor, behind upper respiratory infections — the common cold,” said Dr. Mark Prasarn, an orthopedic spine specialist with Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Sports Medicine Institute and UT Health in Houston.
And while a variety of factors can contribute to the broader umbrella of back pain, posture is a big part of it.
“To put it in simple terms, when you slouch, you’re not maintaining a good alignment, and you’re causing the muscles in your back and neck to overwork,” he said. “And that causes pain.”
Work and technology has a lot to do with this.
“Posture is declining at the speed of technology, and we’ve never seen posture as bad as it is today,” said Krista Burns, founder of the American Posture Institute. We crane our necks to read texts, hunch over iPads at coffee shops and lean forward over crossed legs to inspect details on our computer monitors.
“If we’re aware of our technology posture, we can help change that. I’m not suggesting you get rid of your technology,” Burns said, laughing. She knows no one’s ready to toss their smartphones out the window to alleviate back pain. “My recommendation is to be aware of your body position in relation to your technology.”
Plenty has been written about the importance of workplace ergonomics — keeping your computer at eye level, not too far in front of you. But slouching isn’t limited to your standing or sitting desk. Check your stance the next time you stand in line at the grocery store.
Posture used to be tied to etiquette. But these days, as our nation grows ever-more informal, sitting up straight just isn’t emphasized anymore.
“I think, growing up, for me, it was about manners, and how to sit at the table and be appropriate,” said Prasarn. But he sees hundreds of patients a year, and these days, “the only people who seem to have good posture are patients I’ve seen who are physical therapists, work in medicine.”
Or patients who’ve had such excessive back pain they’ve seen physical therapists themselves and now work consciously to sit up straight.
And it’s relatively easy to follow in these patient’s paths. Prasarn recommends starting with a wall test.
“Back yourself up to a flat wall. Your head, your shoulder blades, your pelvis area and heel should all line up,” he said. “Even though your spine is curved, if you drop a line down from your head, it should transfix all those points, straight down to the balls of your feet.”
Wiggle against the wall for a minute to make this happen, then walk away and try to maintain this posture.
Still, it’s the fact that slouching is so involuntary that makes it a tough habit to break. That’s where staying aware of your posture can help. You could set an alarm to remind you to back to that wall once an hour. That could look weird at work. There are more discreet options, in the form of several new gadgets on the market: The Lumo Lift ($80) promises that if you affix it to your shirt, it will buzz you every time you slouch; Upright Go (also $80) offers a similar set up, though you attach it to your skin beneath your shirt.
These gizmos may be just the ticket for some; but for those who’d rather not shell out that kind of money to turn their behaviors over to a machine, Burns offers some analog options.
“Wear a posture reminder where you spend the most time,” she said. “A sticker at your desk, or a bracelet you see when you’re in line at Starbucks. That will remind you to check your posture.”
Build a new bathroom habit: Every time you check your reflection, make sure you’re in good alignment. Start by retracting your chin from where it likely rests on its own, so your ears are aligned with your shoulders. Then make that straight line Prasarn recommended in his wall test. Do this every time you use the restroom, and soon, you may start to feel less stress on your back.
You may even feel happier.
“Poor posture is connected to bad moods and depression,” Burns said. “If you have an upright, open posture, there are decreased levels of cortisol, which are associated with stress. There’s also an increase in testosterone, which is associated with power.”
Just think about the words “depressed” and “uplifted” for a moment.
“Think about what those words say about your posture,” she said.
These simple at-home (and work) solutions can help curtail pervasive problems. But if you still experience back pain after working on your posture, you may be experiencing more serious issues.
“The first line is trying to correct it on your own,” Prasarn said. “But if you have persistent pain, or you can’t get yourself into a neutral alignment, it’s time to talk to your primary care doctor about back pain, and then maybe a referral to a physical therapist.”