How to straighten out your poor posture at your desk

Forward head, slumping shoulders, tilted pelvis. Sound like the Hunchback of Notre Dame in 15th-century Paris?

Maybe, or just your average Joe and Jane glued to their cellphones and computer monitors in 21st-century Washington or just about anywhere in the world.

We’re talking about modernday posture — or lack thereof — and what it means not so much aesthetically but functionally for the body.

“Bad posture can contribute to things like disc herniation, pinched nerves, tingling, arthritic changes in the joints, and tissue getting shorter and tighter,” says Haim Hechtman, a doctor of physical therapy and the co-founder of Point Performance, a physical therapy practice in Bethesda, Md.

That sounds painful. Which is what a lot of people feel — pain — before realizing and addressing the underlying issues of what it means and feels like to stand upright.

“Bad posture wears down the body faster than it should,” says Ben Fidler, a Washingtonbased

EEpersonal trainer.

The wearing-down can lead to pain as the body fights to compensate for imbalances while remaining as upright as possible.

For example, Fidler says, if the head is forward, the muscles in the back of the neck are lengthened while the muscles in the front are shortened. This means that none of the muscles and other tissues (such as tendons) are working at their optimal and most efficient level.

Fidler does a posture assessment with new clients and then combines the posture needs with whatever other goals clients might have.

But to boil it down, this is what Fidler suggests for improving general posture:

•Roll the shoulders back and bring the head back to align with the spine.

•Brace through the core (engaging your transverse abdominals and obliques by pulling air in toward the trunk).

•Squeeze the gluteus to create pelvic stability while keeping a neutral lower spine (staying within the natural curvature).

To support these posture improvements, Fidler suggests mixing plank and bridge poses into your exercise routine, as well as two-arm rows using a TRX strap.

Occupational therapist and ergonomics expert Naomi Abrams, author of “Why Is My Office a Pain in My … ?,” says that most people have a poor perception of their own posture and could use some expert help. But if it’s not available, she recommends having a friend take a picture of you at your sitting or standing desk to see how your shoulders align (or not) over your hips and where your head is compared with the rest of your spine.

As for the workspace, she recommends bringing work tools closer to your body.

Among her other recommendations:

•Sit farther back into the chair. (Use a footrest if legs are dangling.)

•Keep your wrists straight and fingers floating over the keyboard (like a piano player).

•Place the keyboard so that your elbows can draw back toward the side of your ribs.

•Place the monitor at a height that allows your neck and gaze to stay straight.