“Sit up straight! Don’t slouch!”

For many, these phrases bring back childhood memories of our parents and teachers pleading for us to use better posture. While those sayings may now be only distant memories, they actually do offer some valuable concepts.

Good posture helps us perform our best both physically and mentally.  It can help us be more efficient and may prevent many of the joint and muscle-related issues that, as a physical therapist, I see people suffer from daily.

Faulty posture causes early fatigue, muscle strain, and in later or prolonged stages can lead to painful chronic conditions. Even though poor posture is rarely the only cause of the many conditions seen in my practice, I do feel that it is a contributing factor to many. On the other hand, appropriate posture contributes to general well-being and to good appearance. It also projects poise, dignity and self- confidence to others. The following are some exercises and postural tools that can be simply performed throughout the day while at your desk.