Sitting Postural Release

One of the most common causes of back and neck trouble is the sitting posture. When you sit your body rounds forward straining the joints, ligaments and discs of your spine. Your muscles have to work as a ‘check-rein’ against gravity and become tired and sore as a result. This posture also affects your breathing by compressing your diaphragm and encouraging excessive breathing from the shoulder and neck areas. A simple exercise developed by a European neurologist has given relief to millions of sufferers. This only takes a few minutes a day and will improve your overall postural appearance within just a few weeks of practice. Here are the steps:

The Brugger Relief Position

Seen from behind, sitting upright on the front edge of a padded table, feet apart, arms hanging at the sides with the palms turned forward. — Figure 1.

Sit at the edge of your chair so you are perching
Place your feet under knees then move them apart a little and turn them slightly outwards
Roll your pelvis slightly forward so your back begins to arch
Push your sternum forward and up
Rotate your arms outwards so that your palms face forwards
Separate your fingers as much as possible so that your thumbs face backwards a little
Tuck your chin in slightly
Hold this posture while you take a breath into your abdomen
Repetitions: 2–3
Frequency: two or three times per hour when sitting (Figure 1)

Sitting upright at a desk on a chair with a forward-tilted seat wedge and a lumbar support, hands on a sloped desktop. Arrows mark the seat wedge, the lumbar support and the slope of the desktop. — Figure 2.

Certain ergonomic improvements can help you to achieve a more upright spinal posture. Tilting your seat, using a lumbar support or tilting your worksurface are additional ways to reduce strain on your posture (Figure 2).

Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies 3(3):149, 1999