How to Improve Bad Posture: 10 Dos and Don’ts

As a child, being told to sit or stand up straight may have felt like a nuisance, but those adults in your life were on to something: Good posture helps you stay healthy and pain-free.

“It can affect the way your body moves and the level of pain that you have,” explains Leland McCluskey Jr., MD, an orthopedic surgeon and a fellowship-trained spine surgeon at Tulane Orthopaedics in New Orleans.

For starters, when you stand and sit with good posture, you may ward off some back, neck, and shoulder pain, he says.

Luckily, even after long periods of habitual slouching, it’s possible to correct poor posture — and it may only take a matter of weeks. “If you were to focus on your posture for six weeks, you should expect a noticeable difference,” Dr. McCluskey says. Here’s how to get started.

What Is Good Posture?

Posture is all about the proper positioning of your head, neck, and shoulders relative to the rest of your body, explains McCluskey.

There are two types of good posture: dynamic and static. Realistically, you won’t be holding one rigid position or posture throughout your entire day, says Schuyler Archambault, DPT, CSCS, a physical therapist and the owner of Arch Physical Therapy and Fitness in Boston. So, how your body moves through different positions, such as when walking or running, is called dynamic posture.

While it’s still smart to keep your head, neck, and back straight and tall, dynamic posture is always changing. “You're constantly adjusting your body to the terrain,” McCluskey says. “If you're maintaining [perfect] posture and looking straight ahead, you're going to trip on the cracks in the sidewalk.”

Why Good Posture Supports Health

In rare cases and without correction, poor posture could progress to thoracic kyphosis, or a severe rounding of the upper back, McCluskey says.

• Trouble breathing and reduced lung function
• Weakness, numbness, or tingling in the legs
• Changes in bowel or bladder habits
  

What Bad Posture Looks Like

Bad posture might show up in a variety of scenarios, such as if you’re slouched on the couch, hunched over your laptop, or walking while looking at your phone, McCluskey says.

“Poor posture is with the neck protracted [head forward of the shoulders], and the shoulders rounded forward,” he explains. “As a spine surgeon, I also think about the thoracic spine (mid-back) tilting forward,” McCluskey adds.

As for neck protraction, it can happen in many everyday positions, including while you're sitting in your desk chair, standing in line, or hunching over your phone. In fact, McCluskey notes, frequent phone use messes with posture so much that there’s even a name for it: “text neck.”

Here are two ways McCluskey suggests assessing your posture at home.

First, do what he calls the wall test:

• Stand up straight with your heels against a wall.
• Notice if the backs of your shoulders and the back of your head also touch the wall.
• If your head or shoulders are positioned forward and off the wall, you're leaning forward and it’s time to make conscious posture adjustments.
• To do so, position your head and shoulders back against the wall. This is good posture. Then, practice the tips below to work on improving your posture.

Second, check in with your posture at your desk: Prop up your phone near your workstation and record a short video of yourself working. Notice the position of your neck and shoulders when you're not actively thinking about it, so you can judge if you have good posture when you're working — or if you should make adjustments, McCluskey says.

10 Dos and Don’ts for Improving Your Posture

You likely won’t maintain proper posture all the time — many of our posture-driven behaviors are unconscious. Instead of feeling pressure to be perfect, focus on improving bad posture and maintaining good posture in ways that help you move with ease throughout your day, Dr. Archambault suggests. Here are tips our experts recommend.

1. Don’t Skimp on Stretching and Strengthening

When he sees a patient with neck or shoulder pain that may be posture-related, McCluskey refers them to a physical therapist, who typically provides posture exercises for the back and core, including strengthening and stretching. “All those muscles need to be strong and toned in order for you to maintain good posture,” he says. They also shouldn’t be too tight either, McCluskey adds.

2. Do Adjust Your Computer Monitor to Eye Level

This is the appropriate height for working at a desk all day while maintaining proper posture, McCluskey says. “Because if you're having to look down at your monitor, it's easy for your shoulders to round forward and for you to have to crane your neck,” he says. Ergonomic chairs and standing desks can also help, he adds.

3. Don’t Spend a Lot of Time in Heels

You may love your favorite stilettos, but they aren’t the best for your posture. “Wearing shoes with a high heel makes it more difficult to maintain posture,” McCluskey says. That’s because heels change the position of your pelvis and all of the back muscles attached to it, he says.

Comfortable, supportive, flatter shoes are a safer bet if you’re concerned about improving your posture, he adds.

4. Do Practice Good Posture

Think back to McCluskey’s wall test above and how it felt to move into better posture. Then, routinely remind yourself to straighten up throughout the day, especially if you notice yourself leaning forward, McCluskey advises. “Think about squeezing those shoulder blades together and making sure that your neck is not out front,” he says.

5. Don’t Look Down at Your Phone Too Much

Take frequent breaks from using your cellphone and aim to improve your posture when you’re on your phone, too.

6. Do Consider Posture Devices

There are various wearables that can act as your posture coach. Some attach to your clothing or between your shoulder blades to notify you when you slouch and remind you to straighten up, McCluskey says. Others you wear like a bra or a shirt; these may be tight or restrictive enough to actively prevent you from rounding your shoulders forward, he notes. You can purchase these online, or from some sporting goods or electronics stores.

7. Don’t Carry a Bag on One Side

8. Do Try ‘Adult Tummy Time’

“When you're lying on your stomach, you're using gravity to help you straighten your body out,” McCluskey says. You’ll likely feel a stretch in your upper back too, which can help improve flexibility there and promote better posture, he adds.

9. Don’t Sit All Day

Consider taking phone calls while standing or walking, or drinking extra water so you take more bathroom breaks throughout the day, Archambault suggests.

10. Do a Body Scan When You Stand Up

If you work at a desk, check in with yourself whenever you stand up to use the restroom or refill your coffee mug, Archambault says. She suggests asking yourself: ‘What position am I in? Is it comfortable? How long have I been holding this?’

If you notice discomfort over a prolonged period of time, make posture-friendly adjustments when you sit back down.

The Takeaway

• Bad posture looks like slouching or hunching your spine, rounding your shoulders, and protruding your neck.
• Good posture involves keeping your head above your shoulders with your neck straight, shoulders down and back, and chin pointing forward.
• Maintaining good posture can help prevent neck and back pain, falls, and mobility issues. Check in with your body positioning regularly and make small adjustments to improve your posture.
• If you experience chronic pain in your back, neck, or shoulders, speak to your doctor about physical therapy options and corrective devices or other posture-improving methods.