When it comes to health, it’s a lot more enjoyable for me to learn about what I should be doing to take proper care of myself than to actually do it. That is the case for many of us, despite our best intentions, but deferred maintenance will always, eventually catch up to you. And after five years of working at home (occasionally at a desk) and six years of blogging (exclusively from the couch), my body is starting to display the effects of chronic poor posture.
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor (which will become apparent once I describe how well I care for myself), so it should go without saying that you should follow a professional’s advice and not mine for the treatment of any specific medical conditions.
Aging Gracelessly
Since turning 40 (and catching COVID-19 the same month [1]), I have definitely felt less physically resilient than I used to, particularly when I don’t get enough sleep, food, or water. I’d like to blame the COVID exclusively for that, but it likely also has something to do with my age. According to research out of Stanford last year, our 40s are one of the two times in our adult lives when we experience more rapid spurts in aging. [2] While additional research is needed to understand what all might be going on here, the study’s senior author Michael Snyder reminded us that “we should try to adjust our lifestyles while we’re still healthy.”
Photo credit: Christian Korey
One of the other things that has caught my attention the last few months is neck pain – something that isn’t new to me, but I experienced a noticeable uptick. I originally thought it was the result of an oversized pillow that I swiped from Christian when he wasn’t using it, and while that may have exacerbated my pain more acutely, I don’t believe it was the cause. While rubbing my neck one day, I noticed what I thought was a more pronounced curve in my spine where my neck meets my back. A mild dread struck me: I was starting to develop a dowager’s hump. This outdated (and borderline offensive) term refers to a medical condition called kyphosis, which is excessive curvature of the spine, often resulting in a hump in the upper back – you’ve seen it, even if you don’t know the name.
It can be caused or exacerbated by osteoporosis, which is why it is commonly associated with older women (hence the name) but it can happen regardless of gender and is most commonly a result of poor posture. Indeed, I consistently saw extreme cases (dubbed hyperkyphosis) when I lived in the Japanese countryside. People who spend every year of their lives planting and harvesting rice by hand are likely to demonstrate the physical side effects of consistent poor posture necessitated by their work. And while I don’t imply any similarities between my lazy self and hard-working farmers, I do recognize that my day job usually results in poor posture on my part as I hunch over my computer… and when I take a break from that, I am usually hunched over my computer to research and write this blog, over a garden bed to pull weeds, over a cutting board to make dinner, or over a piece of hand sewing.
Downward Slope
My habits weren’t always this bad, though. Once COVID-19 lockdown started and it was apparent that I would have to set up a home office, I picked out a chair that would enable better posture on my part – and it did! [3] (In fact, I recently met someone in person who had only ever seen me on Zoom, and she was surprised at how short I was, saying that I seemed tall online.) When I’m consistently working at my desk, I do feel better … except that I no longer do that most days. Last summer when I was struggling with long COVID symptoms [4] and could barely get off the couch, that’s where I started to work: all I had to do was sit up. This past winter, my work days continued from the couch, where I could get morning and afternoon sun through the big living room windows, as well as the company of at least one cat at any given time (instead of spending hours in my cold office upstairs with one small, north-facing window).
Image credit: [5]
But, again, there are (eventually) consequences to those choices. While one long stretch of activity hunched over a phone or laptop may result in some neck strain, consistent poor posture can result in chronic conditions. “Dowager’s Hump” is a borderline pejorative term for an actual medical condition (kyphosis), while the more modern and apt moniker “Tech Neck” sounds more like an acute response to physical stressors caused by our increased use of technology. At first glance, the names connote a factor of biology in the former case vs. a factor of behavior in the latter. Nevertheless, they are described by many online resources as interchangeable terms for the same condition, and I generally found enough overlap in descriptions of causes, symptoms, and treatments during my research that I’ve lumped them together for the purposes of this post.
More than just the aesthetic issue of a hump in the upper back, kyphosis can lead to pain or stiffness in the back and shoulder blades, tight hamstrings (because it’s all connected, after all), fatigue, and headaches or migraines. [6] Hyperkyphosis can lead to impaired lung function because of the extreme curvature of the spine, which, in turn, limits oxygen intake and forces the heart to work harder to distribute blood throughout the body. Arthritis and tendonitis in the neck can develop over time, and the discs between the cervical vertebrae (the ones at the base of your neck) can degenerate, [7] not to mention the compression fractures caused in the bones of the spine as osteoporosis sets in.
Turning Things Around
The good news is that there are things we (even I) can do to prevent and even reverse kyphosis in most cases, though it can take months of consistent work, if not longer. Of course, you should always talk to your doctor to rule out rare but underlying health conditions, such as degenerative changes in the spine or congenital problems, but there are resources online that describe simple stretches and strength-building exercises that can be done at home – and even at your desk. I will note that there are some conflicting opinions online regarding what helps (shocking, I know), but Cleveland Clinic’s page on addressing kyphosis [8] recommends chin tucks, [9] scapular squeezes, [10] and doorway pectoral stretches. [11] A separate article on their site regarding “tech neck” recommends isometric neck exercises, [12] as well as neck stretches to the sides [13] and pectoral twists, for which I could not find a video, but they are described in detail in the article. [14]
Photo credit: Christian Korey
As far as building better habits for posture, there are several things we can all be doing. Certainly, I’ve written plenty about using screens less in the first place, and that’s a great starting point. [15] (For reference, half of Americans say they spend 4-5 hours on their phones each day.[16]) But for times when we do have to use screens, experts recommend holding our phones up to face level, rather than dropping our eyes downward. Similarly, computer workstations should be at the correct height to allow you to look forward, not down, and your seating choice should support good posture. You should change your posture – or at least move and stretch – periodically; the aforementioned Cleveland Clinic article on tech neck suggests setting an alarm every 15-30 minutes to remind you to move.
Speaking from personal experience, I regularly lose track of time when I get into a flow state, whether it’s researching, writing, or updating a budget spreadsheet. Literal hours will go by, and I will not notice (or move), so the last recommendation in the previous paragraph seemed like a good idea. I recently tried using an alarm on my phone to ensure that I got up to move every 90 minutes, but instead of heeding its advice, I would snooze it (negating the benefit) or forget about it while I was away from my desk (undoubtedly annoying my coworkers whenever I was in our office). In a separate attempt to encourage healthier work habits across my team (but, really, specifically for me), I bought everyone “Desk Yoga” card decks for Christmas in 2023. [17] Mine are still sitting on my shelf, unopened.
~
For the first four weeks of 2025, I did a great job of doing some yoga and stretches first thing every morning when I got out of bed. I felt great, but my motivation quickly waned, and I easily justified spending that time under the covers, practicing German on Duolingo instead. Researching this topic was a good reminder for me that if brain function is a priority, physical health will help ensure sufficient oxygen to that grey matter between my ears. So on that note, I will wrap up this post and get off the couch. But since you’re here, let me know what you think or what has worked for you if you’re dealing with the side effects of poor posture.
Thanks for reading!
[1] https://radicalmoderate.online/feeling-flirty/
[3] https://radicalmoderate.online/kneeling-chair/
[6] https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-you-can-fix-a-dowagers-hump-prevention-tips
[7] https://health.clevelandclinic.org/text-neck-is-smartphone-use-causing-your-neck-pain
[8] https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-you-can-fix-a-dowagers-hump-prevention-tips
[9] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rnlAVhAK-8
[10] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouRhQE2iOI8
[11] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEQMx4zFwYs
[12] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuuaGAnbhtE
[13] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0lkMPT53qA
[14] https://health.clevelandclinic.org/text-neck-is-smartphone-use-causing-your-neck-pain
[15] https://radicalmoderate.online/digital-detox-ground-rules/
[17] https://www.uncommongoods.com/product/desk-yoga-card-deck
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