Core LDN founder and pCore LDN founder and physiotherapist Claire Mills fuses physio with Pilates – but how can it support weary City office workers’ strained joints and mental health?

With our ever-increasing usage of digital devices, our posture has inevitably suffered as a result. As we bend over our screens at work – and in turn, start to resemble ‘corporate prawns’ – could it be that our stance is impacting more than simply our height, and actually affecting our overall health?

Physiotherapist Claire Mills founded Core LDN to fuse the teachings of physio with Pilates methods to ultimately get the best results.

With many of her clients coming to her with a range of body and health concerns, Claire identifies how bad posture can often be the root cause, and how to improve it through supportive movement such as Pilates.

Claire explains: “A lot of the back, neck and shoulder pain I see is related in some way to poor posture.”

She adds: “We found that lots of people’s posture worsened during the pandemic due to increased time spent sitting and not moving, and many people are still struggling with makeshift working-from-home set-ups.

“But simply sitting more and spending large chunks of the day looking at screens are also contributing factors.”

Not only can a poor posture impact your upper body, but it can also impact other areas.

Brain function and mental health

From a neuromuscular point of view, everything functions better when you’ve got good
alignment through the spine because it allows the nerves and blood vessels to function properly.

But if you have poor posture – for example, you’re slouching or slumping over a lot – then there’s more likely to be pressure on that system.”

Claire continues: “Tension and pain can affect your cognitive function because you’re stimulating your pain system, which has been shown to have several effects. Experiencing chronic pain because of poor posture may also affect your mental health.”

Joint issues

“If you have muscular tension pulling something one way, it can change how a joint is functioning and moving,” Claire says.

“Different joints have different planes of movement, but that tension can affect the loading on different vertebrae and bone structures, which could put you at risk of degeneration further down the line.”

Breathing

“The impact poor posture could have on breathing can be massive,” Mills explains.

“I have worked a lot with clients to help them release their diaphragms because of slouching – it was a particularly big issue during the pandemic.

“This happens because, when you’re slouching, you’re constantly placing pressure on your thorax [chest] and diaphragm, so you’re not able to expand the chest to get that deep breath.”

Pelvic floor strength

“Because poor posture increases intra-abdominal pressure, it can have implications for our pelvic floor,” Claire explains.

“Often when we have clients who are struggling with incontinence – particularly stress incontinence – we’ll be looking at their posture to optimise the intra-abdominal pressure and the impact that has on the pelvic floor, as well as the tension-length relationship in the muscles in and around the pelvic floor, too.”

Steps to address poor desk posture

Identify the problem

Claire explains this is because, “If you’re not aware of it, you can’t change it,” Mills says.

“You can go and get a massage or treatment and have tension released, but if you don’t do anything about the day-to-day afterwards, it’s just going to come straight back. So, you want to become aware of good posture, how yours measures up, and what you can do to change it.”

Mix up your workouts

As well as your usual run or gym workout, Claire advises: “A form of exercise such as Pilates is good because it’s quite focused on posture.

“So it’s going to teach you how to correctly work the muscles that help to create good form, but you need to mix up your workouts as well as include something which teaches good posture, so you can make sure the body stays nice and balanced.”

Prioritise regular movement 

“If you have a job that means you sit down for long periods, make sure to get up and move regularly, as it is sustained posture that often leads to poor form in the long run. The longer you sit in a sustained posture, the more likely the muscles are going to change and adapt to that position.”

Claire adds: “Factoring regular movement into your day, not sitting down for long periods by taking breaks, using a standing desk or just going for a walk will all make a difference.”