Dolphens, M., Cagnie, B., Coorevits, P., Vanderstraeten, G., Cardon, G., D'hooge, R., & Danneels, L. (2012). Sagittal standing posture and its association with spinal pain: a school-based epidemiological study of 1196 Flemish adolescents before age at peak height velocity. Spine, 37(19), 1657-1666.

Wilkes C, et al. (2017). Upright posture improves affect and fatigue in people with depressive symptoms. At our muscle’s peak, they prevent our bones and ligaments from being stressed, strained, and jutting out of alignment. More magic our postural muscles are responsible for? Keeping our heads upright and minds well. Other issues caused by sitting slouched include tendonosis (inflamed and swollen tendons), tennis elbow and upper limb pain. Complete 5 sets of plank workouts from day 12 (instead of 3). After the workout regimen, do 3–5 minutes of thoracic spine rotation and chest- and hip-opener stretches. Day 27: Strengthen your glutes Poor posture often stems from modern-day habits like working in front of a computer, slouching on a couch while watching TV, or looking down at a smartphone. Poor posture could also be due to many hours spent carrying heavy objects (like equipment at work, grocery bags, or a heavy purse).Snijders CJ, et al. (2008). Effects of slouching and muscle contraction on the strain of the iliolumbar ligament. Around 1 in 4 adults in the United States sits for more than 8 hours a day, according to a 2018 study. People who sit for long periods tend to slouch in their chairs. The pectoral muscles often referred to as the “pecs” , are the muscles situated on the chest that lies beneath the breasts. The pectoral muscles consist of the pectoralis major, pectoralis minor, subclavius and serratus anterior. This muscle group helps adduct, abduct (bring away) and depress (bring down) the arm. The pectoralis major is the large, fan-shaped triangular muscle that makes up most of the pectoral muscles. The pectoralis minor is the thin, triangular-shaped situated beneath the pectoralis major. The subclavius muscle, along with the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor form to create the armpit. The serratus anterior is another fan-shaped, muscle with a serrated appearance of the pectorals that helps move the scapula.

The quadriceps muscles, also known as the “quads” , consists of the rectus femoris , vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and vastus intermedius. These muscles make up the bulk of your thighs and work together to flex your hips and extend your knees.

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In humans three physiological curves balance the spine: the cervical and lumbar lordosis convex forward, and the dorsal kyphosis concave forward. These curves are formed and stabilized around 5-6 years, after proprioceptive maturation of the foot. The three curves maintain the balance and they provide support and resistance against longitudinal pressures ( 1- 4).

Static posture is how you hold yourself when you are not moving, like when you are sitting, standing, or sleeping. Forward head posture is when your head is positioned with your ears in front of the vertical midline of your body. If your body is in alignment, your ears and shoulders will be lined up with your vertical midline. Soleus is constantly active because gravity tends to pull the body forward over the feet. Gastrocnemius and the deep posterior tibial muscles are less frequently active. Stay active. Any kind of exercise may help improve your posture, but certain types of exercises can be especially helpful. eg. yoga, tai chi, and other classes that focuses on body awareness. It is also a good idea to do exercises that strengthen your core.

Perk up your posture

Osteoporosis (bone thinning) can cause the shoulders to round as your spinal bones weaken with age. It’s frequently seen in older women. Other age-related causes include degeneration of your spinal disks or vertebrae.

The biceps muscle is found on the front of the upper arm. It attaches to the scapula with two of its heads and one head attaches to the radius bone at the elbow. It allows you to flex the elbow and rotate your forearm in a palm-up position, called supination . You will often see someone who works out flexing this muscle to show their progress! Switch to ergonomic chairs in the office or for any activity that requires you to sit for long periods of time. Scoliosis - A deviation of the normal vertical line of the spine, consisting of a lateral curvature and rotation of the vertebrae. Scoliosis is considered when there is at least 10° of spinal angulation on the posterior-anterior radiograph associated with vertebral rotation [23]. This is a 3 dimensional C or S shaped sideways curve of the spine. Skeletal muscle is made up of two types of muscle fibre – static (often called 'slow twitch') and phasic (often called 'fast twitch'). Generally, static muscle fibres are found in the deeper muscle layers. They help us to maintain posture without too much effort and contribute to balance by ‘sensing’ our position and relaying this information to the brain. Phasic muscle fibres are used for movement and activity.Stay active by taking part in regular exercise, involving cardio, strength training, or stretching. Wongpipit W, Zhang X, Miyashita M, Wong SH. Interrupting Prolonged Sitting Reduces Postprandial Glucose Concentration in Young Men With Central Obesity. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2021 Jan 23;106(2):e791-e802. doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgaa834. PMID: 33186451. The adductors , as the name suggests, help adduct the legs toward the body. The adductors muscle group consists of the gracilis, obturator externus, adductor brevis, adductor longus and adductor magnus . Kyphosis is a more extreme form of forward head posture. The degree to which you’re hunched over determines the amount of pain and dysfunction you’ll experience from this misalignment. They may also advise you to see a physical therapist. A physical therapist can help you develop a routine of stretches and exercises for strengthening the muscle groups that will help you stand or sit properly. Yoga may also help.