On 20th April 2021 at 4PM, I am invited by the NZZ FutureHealth Forum in Basel (Switzerland) to give a webinar on the 3 Rules of Posture and their application to working from home.  The conference is free and open to the public! Click here to get the link.

Abstract: Much has been said on working from home and its impact on your lower back or your neck… but one question remains: how much have you learned that will help you protect your body on the long run? In this session, Olivier Girard will tell you about a simple yet universal framework called the 3 Rules of Posture. It applies to working from home, to working from the office, to manual handling and any other daily life activity, whether at work or at home. Adults should know about it, as well as children. White collar workers as well as blue collar workers. Join us for a truly empowering session in which you’ll learn how to use and protect your body, right now as well as in the future… Be ready to look at posture and ergonomics from a brand new angle!

If you speak German, check my interview in the NZZ!

​Vacuuming, cleaning under furniture, carrying: these are all activities in which many of you hurt yourself at home. Imagine what it is like for those whose job it is!

To better help them, Olivier Girard is partnering in Switzerland with Batmaid, a start-up company dedicated to improving the working conditions of home-based cleaning women. On June 26, we hosted a workshop at a cocktail reception at the Batmaids of Lausanne; we repeat the exercise in Geneva on July 4th. To join us, check with Batmaid.

Some people think that using a fitness ball as an office chair is the only way to feel comfortable. Very often, I observe that they don't know how to adjust their chair or that they sit for too long in a row (i.e. more than 30 min). Check out this video to discover how to adjust your ergonomic office chair well!

Bringing your heels backwards is also the idea behind a kneeling chair: to avoid slouching, let's hollow the back! Another bad idea, as I explain in this video...

No, it doesn't. The problem isn't the ball: it's how long and how frequently you'll be sitting on your exercise ball at the office. 

My advice is: if you like your gym ball, use it... but only 10 min at a time, max 3-4 times a day, and during activities that do not require an intense concentration. See it as a tool to train sitting position despite unstable conditions, not as some kind of "fitness office chair". 

A recurring question usually comes when I train office workers: what is the right distance to the desk when sitting? The picture below illustrates 3 situations that I will comment below: at the right distance, a bit too close, much too close.

"Text neck" is an umbrella concept to describe the neck (and head) symptoms of those spending too much time on their smartphone (typically to write text messages). The March 2017 issue of the Spine Journal rings the alarm bell: practitionners notice an increase in the prevalence of the issue.

We absolutely agree on the fact that mobile screen devices (smartphones, tablets, etc.) are a health hazard. Our main and most effective recommendation is therefore to limit their usage time. One way to do so is to call rather than to text, another one is to send vocal messages (e.g., via Whatsapp) rather than to type. Teenagers need particular attention from adults in this respect.

Once  this is done, it is indeed true that raising the phone helps avoiding a forward head posture. However, holding the phone at eye level may also create strain in the neck and shoulders area. Hence, placing the phone on an elevated surface (e.g., shelf), inclined if possible, is surely a healthier option.

Finally, a good body awareness will help you keeping the neck aligned: make sure that your thoracic spine is not rounded, that your shoulders are not pushed forward, and that you keep your chin drawn slightly  inwards. It will also help you slowing down when your body tells you it has enough...

Many people and companies purchase office chairs without really knowing how to recognize good ones from less good ones. Let's have a look at what field experience teaches us.

First of all, never buy a chair without testing it: online, everything looks beautiful and comfortable. Secondly, there is a difference between buying a chair for one person and buying a chair for a population. If you buy it for one employee, the chair may be less adjustable, as long as it is the right size! If you buy it for a population, it needs to fit a wider range of morphologies. Hence, the adjustment ranges may need to be larger. These technical specifications will help you choose a chair for a population. 

Bear in mind that the more adjustment possibilities, the bigger the risk that it is not adjusted properly. One may rightfully ask whether more is always better. On the video below, you will discover the usual adjustments possibilities of a good office chair. 

Next, let's see the usual flaws of many chairs on the market:

• too wide: chairs are getting wider and wider. Whilst the width of the seat is per so not very problematic, the armrests tend to be too far apart. Using them will force you to spread the elbows, creating neck strain;
• too deep: if the seat is too deep, you will not make full use of the lumbar support and you will tend to slouch. Some chairs have a backrest that moves above the seat pan, but most chairs have a sliding seat pan. Make sure that you don't feel a gap under your buttocks (i.e. between the seat pan and the backrest) when you sit at the back the chair. Along the same lines, be careful with slippery fabrics: if your pelvis glides away, it is not supported;
• non-adjustable lumbar support: some chairs a backrest, which you cannot adjust up and down. If the backrest is made of foam, don't buy the chair. If it is made of elastic fabric, it was intended to "adjust automatically" to the shape of your back. However, the support will be less than a well adjusted traditional foam backrest, and it might be less durable. To resolve this, some manufacturers use a reinforcing bar behind the elastic fabric: make sure that it does not create pressure points in your lower back;
• basic armrests: armrests tend to be too far apart, too high and / or hard. Good armrests will be 3D or 4D armrests (i.e. they can be adjusted in width, height, depth, and for 4D rotated inwards). Make sure that they go low enough to not lift your shoulders, and that they are soft padded.

An office chair will last for many years (8-10). If you have the cash (400-800€), I advise you to buy a good one: the real monthly cost is actually quite low. Some shops also offer reconditioned or used quality office chairs, which are often a better deal than a new cheap chair. 

Many brands are on the market. Here are two recommendations:

• in 2017, Dauphin has asked me to review 4 chairs: my conclusion was to recommend the Speed-o for light users, the Shape for more intensive users.
• I have been working with Kinnarps for many years because of their great quality-price ratio (incl. an excellent adjustment range). My personal chair is a +8. A cheaper alternative is the Temo. 

Dr. Vera Baadjou (university of Maastricht, the Netherlands) has been granted a prestigious award for a scientific study that was designed and performed in close cooperation with the TIPM and Mrs. Ans Samama: she will receive the Alice G. Brandfonbrener Young Investigator Award at the June 2017 conference of the Performing Arts Medicine Association.

The Presto project aims at measuring the health impact of a prevention program based on the "Mensendieck 3.0 method". The target population consists of conservatory musicians in the Netherlands. The intervention program is compared to a traditional physical activity program.

Participating in such projects shows our commitment to reinforcing the scientific documentation of the mechanisms and benefits of posture therapy.