A Posture Brace May Help Office Workers Reduce Neck and Shoulder Pain
Sitting in front of a computer all day may seem like an easy job for your body, but in actuality, the desk posture we slump into at the office can create strain, soreness, and even chronic neck and back pain.
If you suffer from chronic neck pain, shoulder pain, or back pain, you may find that it helps to wear a corrective posture brace during the work hours. Posture braces can be a great way to remind the body of how it should hold itself: shoulders back, spine erect along its proper curve, neck straight. This alignment counteracts the unnatural pressures created by poor desk posture and provides much needed relief to those back, neck, and shoulder muscles. Although a posture brace may seem uncomfortably stiff at first, by helping to correct your posture, it can provide long-term pain relief in the long run.
Even better, a posture brace offers other benefits as well. As your posture improves, so does your overall appearance—who doesn’t want the confident, regal bearing that comes with good posture? Wearing a corrective posture brace for a couple of hours throughout the day also gives you a good workout even as you sit at your desk. A good posture support brace encourages the postural muscles in your body to engage, toning the core muscles of the body and even burning a small amount of extra calories per day.
For best results, wear your posture brace for twenty to thirty minutes at a time, three to five times throughout the workday. It’s important to also work at keeping a good desk posture while you wear your brace, so you’ll find that there is a limit to how long you can wear the posture brace in each sitting. Wearing a brace for longer periods of time will tend to make you forget about it and slip back into your slump despite the brace, which of course, isn’t the result you’re looking to get.
For fastest results, engage in some type of core strengthening exercise, such as yoga, Pilates, the Alexander Technique, the Egoscue Method, when you’re off work. These types of exercise will further help develop the core muscles that hold your body in its proper, strain-free alignment. Regular practice of posture corrective exercises can supplement posture brace wear, structuring a strong, healthy, pain-free back.
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