Posture, Pilates, Really??
So when it comes to any kind of therapy theses days it would seem that there are exercises to do. Strengthening, stretching, twisting exercises in an addition to our already busy lives. The ironic thing is that everyone stretches all day every day. However, it is done in a way that we favour because it allows us the easiest (and buy easiest I mean laziest) way of getting a task done. Lets use an example…….
Sitting at a desk for 9-12 hours a day will have you most likely using a keyboard, mouse, tablet, phone etc. This allows our arms to hang forward as we adopt that posture that we all know about but don’t like to admit to – see below
This position is often referred to as sedentary but it is actually anything but. Notice how there is a lovely stretch through the mid back, and the arms are hanging down putting a great stretch through the back of the shoulders. The areas that are under stretch are also working really hard to provide some stability for your arms while you type or use the phone. All the while those muscles are not getting the blood flow they need to do this job properly, so they become sore irritated- this is a big problem. Imaging running for 9-12 hours a day with very little food – you could imaging that the muscles in your legs may become sore and irritated. This situation is no different.
Although the picture above is a cartoon, it’s a typical picture of what is seen over and over in clinic everyday. Simple massage or more comprehensive physiotherapy may help to make the pain go away. The exercises and Pilates may help to strengthen areas that are weak and lengthen the tight ones. However, when the pain goes away the problem will still be there if there is no change to your day.
Get up more regularly, be the guy that makes the tea, walk you your colleague’s desk instead of emailing them. My personal favourite is to stand up when you answer the phone. Doing things like this will help to remove the prolonged stretches from your day. The muscles will be put back in to positions where they work more effectively. Less pressure will be placed on your joints, and the 10 hour onslaught on your body (AKA work) will not be such a problem.