Ask any RMT, Registered Massage Therapist, and hands down the most common type of “issues” we treat are posture related issues, due to poor posture. This type of person typically spends 8 or more hours a day sitting in front of computer, followed by their commute home whether it be sitting down on the bus or sitting in traffic behind the wheel.

“Sitting is the New Smoking”

A very popular saying being touted by the media right now is “sitting is the new smoking”. It’s true! Humans are designed to be moving around and there’s no doubt about it: it feels good to move whether it be walking, running, dancing…etc.

Common Issues/Complaints from Poor Sitting Posture include:

  • Sore shoulders
  • Stiffness in the neck
  • Achiness in the arms and forearms  
  • Lower back pain
  • Headaches
  • Poor circulation/breathing

Conditions Arising from Prolonged Sitting

  • Migraine Headaches
  • Tension Headaches
  • Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
  • Chronic Low Back Pain
  • Sciatica/Pseudo Sciatica

So what happens when we sit?

Ask any of us what we look like when we sit, the answer typically ends up being a version of a T-rex. You know the pose: neck and head poking forward, rounded shoulders, hunched back, keyboard arms and hands.

When we look intently at our work whether it be on the screen or on the desk in front of us, the position we take to keep our focus ultimately over-works the muscles located on the back of the neck and head. Once these muscles are overworked from being used in this position, we typically start to get headaches.

The rounded shoulders and hunched back result in those nasty, hard to reach knots in between the shoulders blades and that feeling of a tight mid back. While these can also contribute to headaches, they also make it hard to stretch or move out of our hunched position.

Our forearm muscles unfortunately take quite a beating if our job consists of a lot of typing. This leads to sore and tight forearms and can lead to more serious issues like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

How can a Massage Therapy Session Help?

  • Decrease Pain
  • Relax tight muscles to improve posture.
  • Encourage muscles which are overworked to relax.
  • Smooth out muscle “knots”.
  • Stretch muscles which need to be lengthened.
  • Suggestions for maintaining a healthier sitting posture at work.