We are all familiar by now with terms such as “tech neck”, “text neck”, “desk chimp posture” etc… all ways to describe the issues that our current lifestyle brings. We are all aware that scrunching forward over our phone, tablet, kindle, computer, steering wheel isn’t good for us, and we try hard to correct it, but sometimes trying to fix the issue can create more issues and restrictions..
The issue begins with any activity which has us in a hunched posture for a prolonged period of time, the muscles in our chest and the front of our neck shorten and stiffen, making it difficult to return to a more balanced posture. as we become aware of this we try to force the posture back to neutral by pulling our shoulder blades together or pulling our head back, unfortunately this does not help the issue, it creates more tension, this time in the now scrunched up muscles between the shoulder blades and the spine, and creating tension in the muscles in the back of the neck, pulling the spine back and putting pressure on the vertebrae. This cycle continues, tightening one way then the other, wrapping us up and restricting to movement in shoulders, arms, ribs, lungs, upper back, neck..leading to headaches, shoulder tension, restriction in breathing….this restricted movement will have an effect on our digestive system and the movement in our lower spine and hips…the spiral goes on and on, leaving us tied up in knots, with increasing levels of pain and discomfort, decreasing levels of mobility and energy…
We need to focus more on opening up and relaxing the joints, rather than correcting them. Massage and Thai massage regularly can really help with this, these massages use traction and passive stretches to allow our joints to open and out muscles to relax, naturally bringing them closer to their natural, balanced position. We work gradually, increasing blood flow to the areas of stiffness, this brings hydration and nutrients to the tissue and aids in expelling stagnation and waste from the area. We encourage movement and mobilising of joints to allow for better movement, and a full body treatment means that we can work on unwinding the tensions and restrictions which have developed elsewhere as a result of the postural habits. Treatments on a regular basis will really help to regain and maintain a relaxed and neutral posture.
There are things you can do at home every day too, little tricks to help you to adjust, relax and open, rather than “correct” and restrict. One of the main issues is staying still in one position for too long, so set reminders on your device to move at regular intervals, this can be getting out and going out for a walk, taking a yoga break, or just a minute to stretch and adjust at your desk. Try to make little adjustments to your work area, move the keyboard, mouse or screen height if you can, if you are working on a laptop or with your phone, move to a different seat, sit on the floor for a while, put your device on a different surface, stand for a while…use your imagination. If you are taking meetings on your phone, use a hands free device so you can move around or even go for a walk while you are talking. Even if you cant get away from your desk, just check in with yourself regularly through the day, are you comfortable and relaxed? Or are you so engrossed in your work that your shoulders are scrunched and your nose is getting closer to the screen? Shake it off, stretch, go get a drink of water, then get back to work.
At the end of the day, if you are able, lie on your back on the floor, with a rolled up towel underneath you, running the length of your spine, put your arms out to the side palms up, and just breathe, relax and allow gravity to bring you back to a more neutral posture. Done regularly this simple 5 minute trick can really help relax and open your shoulders and chest.
Its important to remember not to try and force or pull your joints back to where they should be, relax and allow them to return in their own time, you will feel more lasting benefit this way.
For more exercises and tips for things you can do at home to help yourself, I suggest looking at books and podcasts by Katy Bowman, her focus is natural, nutritious movement and her books are really inspiring. Katy’s focus on barefoot movement means that she will be referred to again in my future blogs.
So what are the key points to remember here?
- Move more throughout your day
- Focus on relaxing and opening areas of tension
- Don’t try to force and pull your muscles and joints to where you think they should be
- Try 5 mins lying on a rolled towel at the end of each day, give it a week and see how you feel
- Book a regular massage or Thai massage to give everything a really good stretch and reboot
- Look up Katy Bowman, her books and podcasts are full of useful info and tips
My aim is as always to help you feel better, to unwind those restrictions and reduce your pain or discomfort. Too many people live with pain and restrictions that they just don’t need to. Our lives involve technology, there is no getting around that, so we have a choice, we can grumble and complain that technology is causing our pain and discomfort or we can actively work on finding a way that allows us to gain the benefits of that technology in a way that maintains balance and keeps us moving
The Barefoot therapist 