Posted on July 03, 2015 by Jenny Cromack

When we talk about posture in the workplace, we’re not just talking about sitting at a desk for hours on end. We’re talking about any postural habits that you repeat or maintain for a prolonged amount of time. For example, we’re talking about the way you stand – do you stand with your body weight evenly spread between your feet, do you wear high heels, do you stoop or have your head bowed down?

We’re talking about whether you have enough leg room when you sit and how much you have to twist to reach desk draws or equipment, or talk to colleagues. We’re also talking about desk, bench or bed height, whether your chair has arm rests or not, the weight of equipment you use and how you lift or carry it (laptop bags for example) and so on.

Not only can poor posture cause massive problems for an individual; ultimately poor workplace posture can cause a considerable cost for employers when there is absence as a result of musculoskeletal disorders. And we’re not just talking about low back pain here like a number of our previous blogs, we are looking at the bigger picture: neck pain, tightness in the shoulders, RSI (repetitive strain injury) of the wrist, hip and back pain and so many more.

Whenever we write blogs about posture, everyone momentarily sits up straight, stands evenly, puts their bags down, uncross their legs – but honestly, how long do you remember to do this for? We give top tips, does and don’ts, exercises to help and so on, but whilst we read them and take note, we don’t follow them.

Recently a client went through out 90second Postural Assessment – and it really does take 90seconds! What this gives is a pictorial reminder of how your posture looks. This has really worked for my client. They’ve put it up at work to remind them of what it looks like if they don’t keep following our advice. And that’s the key isn’t it?

Whilst our posture assessments help to recognise bad postural habits and educate you on how to correct them; look at how you stand, sit and move; we provide you with photographic evidence. A constant reminder that once we have identified potential causes of the problems, if you don’t follow the exercises and stretches we give you to correct these problems, this is how your posture will always look.

Booking a postural assessment may just help to alleviate any niggles or aches you may be suffering from due to poor posture in the workplace.

http://www.spine-health.com/wellness/ergonomics/ten-tips-improving-posture-and-ergonomics
http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-bad-sitting-posture-at-work-leads-to-bad-standing-posture-all-the-time-1403564767
http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/workplacehealth/pages/howtositcorrectly.aspx
http://www.npionline.org/articles/heels-and-your-posture.htm