Do You Have Turtle Posture?

When workers hunch forward over their desks curving their back, ergonomists refer to this as “turtle neck” or “turtle posture”. It causes the user to tilt their chin up with their neck extended similar to a turtle popping its head up out of its shell.

This kind of bent-forward positioning puts a lot of strain on the neck, shoulders and back muscles. The pressure on the body increases exponentially the more forward the head is positioned past the neutral position. A neutral posture is one in which your head and shoulders are balanced over your hips. Your neutral posture is the strongest posture and will minimize fatigue and discomfort.

Long hours working at an improperly positioned laptop or texting on a cell phone can also result in similar postural stresses. As the shoulders round forward, increased pressure is exerted on the nerves and blood vessels in the arms which could lead to thoracic outlet syndrome. 

We recommend that you lean back keeping your head balanced over your shoulders. Position your monitors at a level that minimize your neck bending and twisting. For most people, this is slightly below eye level but may be lower if you wear glasses or have other eye issues. If you’re using a laptop, consider raising it to eye level and use a detached keyboard and mouse.

If you’re already using a desktop monitor and find yourself still hunching forward, try pulling the monitor a few inches closer so that you can sit back in your chair. Our vision changes over time and the monitors may just be too far away. If you’re doing a lot of visually intensive work, you may benefit from a larger monitor or dual monitors.

Reviewing the ergonomic setup of your workstation will reduce turtle posture and increase your comfort. Simple exercises such as chin tucks can help stretch out the neck muscles.  Correcting your posture at work will help keep you more comfortable and heathier.

May is National Posture Month. Check your posture and don’t be a turtle.

Contact us today for your FREE MINI REMOTE ERGONOMIC WORKSTATION REVIEW.

http://posturemonth.org/why-posture-matters/