By: Claire Mills, Founder Core LDN
First published: 8th August 2024
Featured in: City AM, Why your office desk posture can affect your health – and how to fix it

With our ever-increasing usage of digital devices, our posture has inevitably suffered as a result.
With many of our clients coming with a range of body and health concerns, bad posture can often be the root cause, and the combination of Physiotherapy and Pilates can be extremely powerful to improve it.
A lot of the back, neck and shoulder pain I see is related in some way to poor posture. We found that lots of people’s posture worsened during the pandemic due to increased time spent sitting and not moving, and many people are still struggling with makeshift working-from-home set-ups.
But simply sitting more and spending large chunks of the day looking at screens are also contributing factors. Not only can a poor posture impact your upper body, but it can also impact other areas.
Brain function and mental health
From a neuromuscular point of view, everything functions better when you’ve got good alignment through the spine because it allows the nerves and blood vessels to function properly.
But if you have poor posture – for example, you’re slouching or slumping over a lot – then there’s more likely to be pressure on that system.
Tension and pain can affect your cognitive function because you’re stimulating your pain system, which has been shown to have several effects. Experiencing chronic pain because of poor posture may also affect your mental health.
Joint issues
If you have muscular tension pulling something one way, it can change how a joint is functioning and moving. Different joints have different planes of movement, but that tension can affect the loading on different vertebrae and bone structures, which could put you at risk of degeneration further down the line.
Breathing
The impact poor posture could have on breathing can be massive. I have worked a lot with clients to help them release their diaphragms because of slouching – it was a particularly big issue during the pandemic. This happens because, when you’re slouching, you’re constantly placing pressure on your thorax [chest] and diaphragm, so you’re not able to expand the chest to get that deep breath.
Pelvic floor strength
Because poor posture increases intra-abdominal pressure, it can have implications for our pelvic floor. Often when we have clients who are struggling with incontinence – particularly stress incontinence – we’ll be looking at their posture to optimise the intra-abdominal pressure and the impact that has on the pelvic floor, as well as the tension-length relationship in the muscles in and around the pelvic floor, too.
Steps to address poor desk posture
Identify the problem
If you’re not aware of it, you can’t change it. You can go and get a massage or treatment and have tension released, but if you don’t do anything about the day-to-day afterwards, it’s just going to come straight back. So, you want to become aware of good posture, how yours measures up, and what you can do to change it.
Mix up your workouts
As well as your usual run or gym workout a form of exercise such as Pilates is good because it’s focused on posture. So it’s going to teach you how to correctly work the muscles that help to create good form, but you need to mix up your workouts as well as include something which teaches good posture, so you can make sure the body stays nice and balanced.
Prioritise regular movementÂ
If you have a job that means you sit down for long periods, make sure to get up and move regularly, as it is sustained posture that often leads to poor form in the long run. The longer you sit in a sustained posture, the more likely the muscles are going to change and adapt to that position.
Factoring regular movement into your day, not sitting down for long periods by taking breaks, using a standing desk or just going for a walk will all make a difference.
About Core LDN
Aimed at revolutionising the fitness and rehabilitation landscape, Core LDN firmly believe
that a one size fits all approach simply doesn't apply to wellness. At the heart of Core LDN's philosophy is a team of expert physiotherapists dedicated to treating and rehabilitating all injuries. Through a fusion of exercise rehabilitation in specialised CORE classes, clients can experience the benefits of Physiotherapy-led Pilates. Whether in recovery mode, navigating pre/postnatal stages, or striving towards specific fitness objectives, individuals can harness the power of personalised Pilates sessions.
To find out more about Core LDN, book a physiotherapy initial appointment or Core LDN Pilates intro visit www.coreldn.com
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