It’s tricky to maintain good posture while sitting at a desk for hours each day, but a few simple adjustments to your work setup could make a big difference, a top orthopedic surgeon said.
It’s thought that around 66% of Americans have what’s known as tech neck or forward head posture, where the head and chin protrude and put pressure on the neck.
It’s common in office workers who crane their necks to look at screens (big and small) all day. This can cause neck and back pain, headaches, and lead to more serious musculoskeletal problems, like kyphosis (curvature of the spine).
“When you’re sitting at a desk, your body gets stiff, your body gets tight,” Dr. Jason Snibbe, the official orthopedic surgeon of the LA Clippers, who also counts Kris Jenner as a patient, said.
But getting up from your desk and stretching or going on a short walk can help your muscles stay strong and flexible, he said.
Snibbe shared four tips for supporting good posture and preventing back pain if you work at a desk.
Try a standing desk
Using a standing desk can be a great way to take pressure off your spine and reduce the number of hours you spend seated each day, Snibbe said.
“Your body can shift and move,” he said.
A small 2024 study published in Healthcare found that people with forward head posture scored better in a postural assessment and muscle tiredness test after working at a standing desk for 30 minutes than those who used a regular desk. The standing desk group also scored higher in a self-reported comfort questionnaire.
AirPods are your friends
Snibbe tells his patients with sedentary jobs to set an alarm for every 30 minutes or so to remind them to get up from their desks and move around a little.
But he knows this isn’t always possible, so recommends using wireless headphones to integrate more movement into your working day.
“The beauty of that is people can now take calls. They can go on a walk and take a call, they can have a conversation, they can have a business meeting while they’re exercising, which I think is a wonderful, wonderful thing,” he said.
Use a chair with lower back support and armrests
It’s important to sit on a chair that has cushioning or some kind of support for the lower back, Snibbe said. It helps to keep the spine in correct alignment, which prevents slouching and back pain.
He said you should also choose a chair that has armrests, particularly if you’re working on computers and typing a lot, because they take stress off the neck and shoulders.
Getting a laptop stand, or simply placing some books under your computer to bring it to eye level, will also help you sit with the correct posture, he said.
Put resistance bands all over your office
When your work requires you to sit uninterrupted for hours, it means you’re not using and strengthening your muscles, but strong muscles play a big role in maintaining healthy posture.
To combat this, try tying resistance bands to handles, doors, or hooks around your office, and use them to do some strength training while you work. You can use them to internally and externally rotate your shoulders, for example, he said.
He suggested tying a band to the legs of your desk and pushing against it, mimicking a leg press. “So you’re activating your muscles, you’re moving, you’re getting the blood flowing,” Snibbe said.
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