TRAIN YOUR POSTURE - Olivier Girard, ergonome et posturologue en Suisse
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The posture blog

a posture manual for all

1/27/2019

 
TRAIN YOUR POSTURE's method is uniquely global: I teach you how to preserve and heal your body by improving your posture and ergonomics at work as well as at work (Erg'OH Conseil is the brand for companies).  

For even more empowerment, I have written a posture manual  for everybody and every day. Very illustrated and didactic, it describes a posture training road-map over 3 months. Each week, a daily goal and an exercise are suggested so that all themes of your daily life are discussed: how to sit, stand, walk, lift, carry, relax, sleep, breathe, choose ergonomic furniture, etc.

Whilst the publication in English is still pending, the book is now available in French. If you are interested in publising the English version, please contact me.
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Exercise ball vs. desk chair: what's the best choice?

12/15/2018

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Sitting on a gym ball (aka. Swiss ball, exercise ball, yoga ball or posture ball) is in fashion, but is it really the healthy choice for your spine? Let's go back to the basics and see if the promise of relieving lower back pain is kept...

what is a good sitting posture?

When you sit well, your sitting posture fulfills these two conditions:
  • it distributes your weight across your tissues (i.e. avoid overloading your discs, or your neck, etc.)
  • it transfers as much weight as possible to "a third party" (aka. a lumbar support). 

The first posture below (on the sitting bones and against the lumbar support) fulfills the requirements, but not the next ones
  • a hollow back will contract the lower back muscles overload the intervertebral cartilage (hence increase the pace and severity of osteoarthritis),
  • a round back will overload the intervertebral discs (hence increase the risk of hernia) and push your head and shoulders forward (hence increase the risk of neck pain and headaches).
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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!

what happens when sitting on a ball at work?

If we compare an exercise ball vs. a chair, we see that the exercise ball is designed to create instability: there is a big risk that you cannot stabilize your pelvis around a neutral posture. Immediately, your spine will pay the price.

Secondly, if you sit on a Swiss ball instead of an office chair, you loose the possibility to rest your belt (i.e. your pelvis) on the lumbar support: part of your weight stays on your tissues. To avoid slouching, most people pull their heels backwards and thereby hollow their back, which can cause lower back pain.
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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...

Does sitting on a ball help your back?

You could think that if you know how to sit on an exercise ball, you will train your back muscles. This is another misunderstanding of what sports is:  high intensity, short duration, prolonged rest. Sitting on an exercise ball at work is the very contrary of this: it does not create the cardiovascular benefits of sports, but rather tissue inflammation (see The physical activity paradox, by Andreas Holtermann).

does this mean you should ban gym balls?

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". 

so, how to sit on a ball at the desk?

The sitting posture you should aim for is the same as on an ergonomic office chair: on your sitting bones, with your weight distributed equally between left and right. 

To make your life easier,
  • your heels should be vertically under your knees,
  • the knees should be spread a little (this increases the pressure around the sacroiliac joint, which in turn stabilizes the spine),
  • the knees should form an angle of at least 90° (an electric sit stand desk is recommended, as the ball isn't necessarily as high as your chair),
  • you should be sitting around the apex of the ball (if you sit on the slope, your pelvis will tilt).
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To hold the pelvis in this neutral posture, you should engage the lower transverse abs (under the navel): if you bring them slightly inwards, you increase the pressure around the lower spine, which stabilizes it. This muscle effort explains why you can't sit for too long on a gym ball.

how about a chair with a ball for seat?

When a product fails to deliver on its promises, you always see manufacturers developing another expensive product, which will also fail. This is the very story of the ergo ball chair (aka gym ball chair)...

Here, the intention is to provide a lumbar support onto the sitting ball. But if you sit on the apex of the ball, the lumbar support if far away! And if you want to sit against the lumbar support, you have to sit on the slope of the ball, which will tilt your pelvis and make you slouch. 

​Hence, if you want to buy an "ergonomic ball chair", make sure that the lumbar support can be pushed forward enough!
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so... a yoga ball for all?

A yoga ball, gym ball, exercise ball, posture ball or whatever name you want to give it is therefore a training tool, not an office chair. 

Hence, I do not recommend that companies invest in yoga balls instead of individually adjusted ergonomic office chairs. To choose well, have a look at this video and these technical specifications.
As an individual, you may use a gym ball to train sitting position, when your mind is not busy somewhere else.

my recommendation

I believe that we should invest in expensive things only when there's no other choice: an ergonomic office chair is a must work in proper conditions but for the rest, I prefer to get postural variation from adapting my working style (e.g., stand for phone calls and video conferences) and taking short but frequent breaks during which I practice this short exercise for  effective muscle relaxation. The less I depend on "things", I more free I am. 

To feel durably better and avoid wasting money on costly accessories, join the Online Posture Programs, the only empowering offer to correct your posture!
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ergonomic joke

8/11/2017

 
The cartoon below reminds be both of my job as an ergonomist and of my job as a posture therapist. 
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The ergonomist works mainly with companies (B2B). For many of them, improving working conditions takes time and energy. However, in thinking so they forget future gains in terms of productiviy, quality, motivation, lower absenteeism, etc.

The posture therapist works more with private people (B2C). He also meets many who believe that they lack the time (or the energy, or both) to think about the new behaviours that they need to repeat in order to anchor new habits. In doing so, they also ignore future gains in health, quality of life, performance (e.g., in sports), and even energy and immunity as several clients of ours reported.

Hence, yes: we always have other priorities than to correct an unhealthy state of things, which violates the laws of physics and anatomy. But do we really have a choice when we are not the ones who set the rules?

sitting too close to the desk

7/9/2017

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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.
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Patients' autonomy

6/1/2017

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On this website as well as on our Facebook page, I tend to post more scientific than opinion papers. However, an article named How the Back Pain Industry is Taking Patients for a Dangerous Ride has come to my attention this week, and it is worth sharing it. The authors Danielle Venton and Jon Brooks make there a few important points:
  • surgery should not be treated lightly;
  • all hands-on treatments (cracking joints, massaging, etc.) are symptomatic and not causal;
  • relying on accessories for getting better is not the road down to patients' autonomy and empowerment.
We do share these views. This is the reason why most of our treatment is solely based on the use of gravity, as the only freely available resource everywhere on the planet. Sometimes (and only after the patient masters his/her own body perfectly well) technical solutions may come into play for coping with the last bits of unresolvable pain. In this case, we will make sure that their use does not require any third party, and that the patient develops the necessary expertise to use the solution without creating new damage. 
A strict adherence to our "hands off paradigm" is key to being able to provide distance treatment for postural disorders.
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"Text neck"

4/18/2017

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"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...
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Choosing office furniture

3/14/2017

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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. 
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Reinforcing prevention at school

2/19/2017

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For the last 10 years we have been giving numerous conferences and workshops. More often than not, participants asked why we were not intervening in primary schools to teach children early on. Today we are officially launching a pilot project in Switzerland to achieve this. It was time: a large number of teenagers already suffer neck and shoulder pain, before even entering the job market! [...]
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The cost of Back pain in the US

2/13/2017

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A study published this year in the JAMA describes the evolution of the healthcare costs in the US since 1996. The results are clear: "spending on diabetes, ischemic heart disease, and low back and neck pain account for the highest amounts of spending by disease category".
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The same trend can be observed in all Western countries. This shows the societal relevance of a new prevention paradigm, based in our opinion on
  • empowerment of patients with musculosekeletal disorders e.g., by posture therapy
  • early prevention (see our program in schools).
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Mood and posture

2/4/2017

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A new research article investigated the link between "sitting upright" (a concept to be more clearly defined) and psychological state: 

“Compared to sitting in a slumped position, sitting upright can make you feel more proud after a success, increase your persistence at an unsolvable task, and make you feel more confident in your thoughts,” Dr. Broadbent explained. "Research also suggests that sitting upright can make you feel more alert and enthusiastic, feel less fearful, and have higher self-esteem after a stressful task.”

The clinical practice indeed often shows a strong psychological impact of posture therapy.  [...]

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