A Guide on How to Fix Computer Hunch for Employees

Office workers, students, freelancers, and writers spend a considerable portion of their day in front of a screen seated on a chair. As they are engrossed in work, too busy to think about anything else, there are several physical stresses building up in their bodies. This includes back pain, muscle strain, spinal pressure and muscle fatigue for the entire body.

After all, our minds can only take up so much at once, and when we are working on something really challenging and mind-consuming, we don't even realize we are slumping in our chairs. The constant urge to focus more by leaning towards the screen, which in result gives rise to a slumped posture creates a permanent computer hunch.

Even if we realize that slump is bad for our overall posture it is hard to consciously sit straight all day. This is because computer hunchback is not something we practice intentionally, we need to consciously fight against it. This doesn't mean it will take a lot of work to fix computer hunch and you will be failing completion of reports just because you were too focused on fixing that laptop hunch. But a few routine changes, and forming the right habits will easily help you with a hunched back.

Let's look at some productive tips on how to fix back hunch permanently. Read on to find out!

Evaluate Your Posture

Before we get all serious about how to make hunchbacks straight, it is important to eliminate the cause of hunchbacks so that you can practice a healthy sitting posture once and for all. To evaluate whether or not your sitting posture is right, check if your head is aligned just above your neck, back, and pelvic region. If your head is tilted forward from the back and neck region, you are inviting a back hunch.

Scheduled Checks

What's the use if you catch yourself in a hunch position after spending 8 hours in front of the screen? Since you spent the whole day in an unhealthy posture, a late check won't help you change this habit anytime soon. Hence it is important to catch yourself in the act several times a day. You can schedule alarms to remind yourself to sit straight. This constant check and balance will soon make you habitual of sitting upright.

Work on Your Shoulders

Our shoulders, back, and neck are all interconnected; one wrong move leads to another, and so on. So why not start with your shoulders to ensure your back doesn't naturally hunch? Take measures to prevent shrugging or slouching, which is common in gamers and office workers who work with a keyboard and a mouse.

To maintain a natural posture of shoulders a computer desk with keyboard tray is helpful. Since a keyboard tray is mounted lower than the desk, you will not be required to raise your shoulders all the time. But if your desk doesn't have a keyboard tray, keyboard trays also come as a separate accessory. You can get a corner desk with a keyboard tray or a laptop table with a keyboard tray. There is no excuse for slumping now.

Pectoral Stretch

Okay, you have that back hunch. You despise it, and while working on prevention methods, you must also fix the existing hunch. Don't worry, because there are tons of exercises and stretches that help with the hunch. A pectoral stretch is a simple stretch that can be done to revert a hunched back. All you need is to stand in a door frame and place your arms on either side of the form.

This will make you form a 90-degree angle of your body to the arm. Try to open your arms as much as possible until you feel a stretch in your upper back and arms muscles. This simple stretch will engage the hunch muscles to do active work, encouraging the right posture.

Keep Your Back Pain in Check

A great idea of how messed up your working posture is to keep a check on your symptoms. Lingering symptoms, such as the back, shoulder, and neck pain and stiffness, indicate a bad sitting posture. Make regular notes as symptoms appear; this will allow you to identify any trends in your routines and behaviors that might be causing your pain. For instance, sitting on a chair leads to back pain, or working for a certain number of hours is when your pain worsens. With this knowledge, you can consciously avoid back pain by changing your posture at work.

Make Healthy Choices

You are somewhat mistaken if you think your healthy choice for the day is that green smoothie in the morning and a few miles run at night. Choosing healthy is about choosing the right things the whole day, not for just some part of the day. And since we spend a lot of time in offices, the choices made during this period matter the most. Switch to ergonomic desk positions to attain a natural working posture. Attaining the right posture for standing desk comes naturally because a standing desk actively engages your muscles. This will soon make you habitual of standing straight. Hence you will subconsciously sit straight when working.

Lower Body Posture

To ensure that your weight is distributed equally across your hips, it's crucial to maintain your legs parallel to each other and not twist or lean to either side. Poor posture from slanted sitting might result in hip pain! You give up and slump in your chair as the agony rises your spine, which results in a hunched back.

Keep Moving

Get up and move around. Poor posture happens mainly when your muscles are tired from working on sitting straight. By getting up from your chair and moving around a bit, you can take a fresh start before sitting on that chair again. Physical breaks also mean mental breaks, so as you get up from in front of the screen, your mind gets to rest a bit too.

Get Professional Help

See a chiropractor or physical therapist to monitor your posture and general health. They will discuss your present posture problems, identify the source of your pain, and then offer advice on improving your posture. After prolonged daily sitting, chiropractic therapy can maintain adequate neck, back, and spine alignment.