If you’re reading this on a mobile device, chances are you’ve got your head forward, shoulders curved and back hunched – in short, ‘text neck’.  Let’s put this in perspective. The average human head weighs about 5kg in a neutral position (when your ears are aligned with your shoulders). The more you tilt your head forward, the more the pressure on your spine increases. This constant flexion can pull it out of alignment; leading to muscle strain, pinched nerves, and headaches, or worse, early degeneration – herniated disc, anybody?

Fix it: Pay attention to your head position when using your device, keeping your screen at eye level to prevent your neck from bending forward.

Work it: Doing gentle movements like chin tucks or cat stretch helps with spinal articulation, while downward-facing dog opens up your chest walls and shoulders.

Poor posture habits, including slouching and text neck, encourages your shoulders to roll forward. It seems inconsequential, but when this happens, the space between the humerus (ball-shaped bone in your shoulder) and shoulder blade decreases, causing muscle imbalances and inflammation of the joints. The dangers are real: Frozen shoulder, impingement, tendonitis and joint degenerative arthritis.

Fix it: Make it a habit of rolling your shoulders back and down, keeping your neck lengthened upward and chin tucked in.

Work it: Chest openers and scapula (shoulder blades) exercises like doorway chest stretches, wall slides and hand clasp to lengthen shortened muscles, while band pull-aparts will strengthen major muscles of your back.

Our necks and shoulders are constantly holding up our body, so it’s important to relieve some stress from them on a regular basis to keep the aches away. Applying pressure on the soft tissue in those areas can reduce muscular tension and ease the stress.

Together with Disney, OSIM has a limited-edition series of massagers available in four designs. The uCozy Neck & Shoulders Massager is their first collaboration together and is designed for effective support and targeted relief. There’s four massage nodes to knead out the tension and soothe aching muscles, and there’s even a warmth function to enhance circulation.

Blame heels, social media and the need to booty pop in pictures. Does it look good? Maybe. But in this position, your pelvis is pulled forward and tilted downward. You’re hyperextending your hips, and overarching the curve of your lower back. The muscles in front of your pelvis and thighs tighten, while your gluteal and abdominal muscles, and hamstrings weaken. All of this accumulates to lower back pain. Some people may find they’re unable to flex their lower spines.

Fix it: Make a conscious effort to keep your body aligned, maintaining the spine’s natural curvature. Imagine a string attached to the top of your head, pulling you upwards.

Work it: Planks, side leg raises, hip flexor and thigh stretches to strengthen your core and glutes.

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In this position, your upper back is rounded and C-shaped. Your hip bones are pulled backward, the bottom part of your pelvis is pushed forward and the curve in your lower back flattened. It may feel comfortable, but here’s what is really happening: your vertebrae are crunched down together, increasing tension in the discs, which results in lower back pain, pinched nerves and potentially, spinal misalignment. Not to mention, tight hamstrings, weak abdominal and gluteal muscles.

Fix it: When sitting, move closer to the edge of your chair, with one leg slightly forward and one leg back, and your feet flat on the floor. Your knees should be level with, or slightly lower than your hips. Put a pillow in the arch of your back to maintain the natural curve of your spine.

Work it: Bridges, back extensions and planks to strengthen your core and glutes.

Working from home has not staved off the need for long hours of sitting by the desk, and while we’re still here. It’s best to look for a lumbar support pillow. Look for one that includes memory foam, as it’ll conform to the natural curvature of your back and lend the support you need in those long hours of sitting.

We’ve all done this while waiting in line, or walking with a bag on one shoulder. According to Dr Stakes, this can lead to maladaptive changes in the spine and surrounding muscles, and more severely, scoliosis or a curved spine.

This occurs because you’re placing excessive pressure on one side of your lower back and hip, causing a pelvic tilt due to longer, weaker muscles on one side, and short and tight muscles on the other. Pain may develop in the hip area or buttocks, radiating into the leg. Eventually, the whole spine deviates.

Fix it: “Think of your body as a building,” says Marina. “Your legs are its foundation, so when you stand, distribution of your weight should be 50/50.”

Work it: Strengthen your glutes and improve hip mobility with reverse leg raises and clamshells, and planks to correct uneven hips.

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Text: Lydia Ng, Additional reporting: Farisia Thang

This post was first published on April 3, 2020, and updated on June 6, 2020. 

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