You already know that spending the majority of the day sitting isn’t great for your health. Living a primarily sedentary life is associated with living a shorter lifespan. Why? It’s because sitting all day is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension and hormone-related cancers.
It can also really mess up your posture—especially if you’re hunched over a keyboard. Spending the majority of the day like this is leading to what’s being referred to as “shrimp posture” on TikTok, as seen in this illustration of a shrimp sitting at a desk.
Related: This 30-Second Exercise Is a Gamechanger for Improving Your Posture, According to a Back Pain Specialist
Physical therapists have picked up on the term too, using it to emphasize just how bad sitting hunched over at your desk can be for posture. And it’s not just something people facing a computer screen all day are prone to. If you text a lot, you might also have shrimp posture without even realizing it.
Here, a physical therapist and a professional ergonomist explain exactly what shrimp posture is, why it happens, how it can impact health and share exercises to fix it.
?SIGN UP for tips to stay healthy & fit with the top moves, clean eats, health trends & more delivered right to your inbox twice a week?
What Is Shrimp Posture (And Why It Happens)
“Picture a person working at a desk, maybe looking a little disheveled and exhausted, hunched over their computer after a 60-hour work week. They are curled forward towards their monitor, shoulders are hunched up while keying ferociously, sending off that one last email…THAT is shrimp posture,” says Kristianne Egbert, CPE, a certified professional ergonomist with Briotix Health.
Dr. Sarah Cash Crawford, PT, DPT, a physical therapist and the founder of Anchor Wellness and WAVE Physical Therapy & Pilates, says that she sees people with shrimp posture every single day. She describes it as someone with their shoulders rounded forward, head dropping down and the upper back curving into a “C” shape.
“It’s not a medical diagnosis. It’s really just a modern name for a posture pattern physical therapists have treated for decades, driven by how much time we spend hunched over phones and laptops,” Dr. Crawford says.
It’s not just people who work at a computer who are prone to shrimp posture. If you’re looking down at your phone texting a lot, Dr. Crawford says that can also cause shrimp posture. “The biggest driver is simply repetition and duration: Hours a day looking down at a phone or leaning into a laptop screen with poor postural support and awareness. It’s not caused by one bad moment of slouching. It’s caused by holding the same position over and over without enough counter-movement,” Dr. Crawford says.
If your mid-back, deep neck flexors and glutes are weak, Dr. Crawford says that you’re more likely to fall into this curled position because it’s easier than maintaining upright posture.
Your desk set-up could also be causing you to fall into shrimp posture. Egbert says that having a monitor too low, a desk that is too high or a keyboard pushed too far away can all make shrimp posture more likely. So can an ill-fitting chair, which she says can lead someone to perch on the edge of the seat because the seat pan is simply too deep.
“But the reality is that even with the best equipment, holding an ideal supported posture all day just isn’t realistic. When we stay locked in one spot for hours, our bodies naturally crave a change in position. Without even realizing it, we start to curl forward into shrimp posture simply as a subconscious way to break up that static load,” Egbert adds.
Related: Hunched Over and Dealing With Back Pain: Try These 12 Exercises for Better Posture
Signs You Have Shrimp Posture: Key Symptoms To Watch Out For
How do you know if you have shrimp posture? Both experts say that there are some telltale signs to watch out for. “Typically, your body will let you know when you’ve slipped into this position. You might feel a creeping tightness across your upper back and neck, or notice a nagging tension headache setting in,” Egbert says.
Here are some other symptoms to watch out for, according to both experts:
The “chin jut”: Catching your jaw leading the way toward your screen instead of resting aligned over your shoulders. Creeping shoulders: Realizing your shoulders have slowly migrated up toward your ears while typing or that they have rounded forward. Forward-leaning head: Your head sits in front of your shoulders rather than stacked above them. Shoulder tension: You notice tension or achiness between your shoulder blades or at the base of your skull by midday. An achy tailbone: Feeling your weight shift onto your lower spine and tailbone because you’ve slumped out of your chair’s back support. Eye strain: Blinking through tired eyes, often a giveaway that you’ve slowly crept way too close to the monitor. Standing up straight hurts: When you try to stand up straight, it feels effortful or unnatural rather than neutral.Related: The Most Overlooked Pilates Exercise for Better Posture, According to Instructors
The Physical Health Risks of Constant Slouching
Is slouching really that big of a deal? If it’s what you find most comfortable, why resist? While it may feel okay in the moment, both experts say that shrimp posture can negatively impact the body both short-term and long-term.
“Short-term, it shows up as neck and shoulder tightness, tension headaches and that achy upper-back feeling by the end of a workday. This is often called ‘tech neck,’ which can also subtly restrict how deeply you breathe since a rounded chest limits rib expansion,” Dr. Crawford says.
Over time, Egbert says that shrimp posture can literally change your body. “You might find that your upper back and neck retain that rounded, forward shrimp-like curve even when you’re away from your desk, or that your shoulders stay rolled forward and shrugged up toward your ears,” she says. In other words, over time, shrimp posture is no longer a choice; it’s how your body becomes naturally positioned.
On top of that, Dr. Crawford says that, over time, shrimp posture can cause chronic muscle imbalances, joint stiffness and increased strain on the cervical spine, which can contribute to more persistent neck pain or disc issues.
Physical Therapist-Approved Exercises To Fix ‘Shrimp Posture’
Now that you know the damage shrimp posture can cause long-term, you may be making a silent vow to maintain perfect posture at all times. Unfortunately, that just isn’t realistic. “You can’t ‘fix’ posture by just trying to sit up straighter through willpower. This behavior causes muscles to fatigue fast and often overtrains the wrong muscle groups,” Dr. Crawford says.
She explains that real, lasting change comes from building the strength and mobility to make an upright position feel natural, not effortful. Regularly doing exercises that help correct shrimp posture can also help. Below are four that Dr. Crawford recommends.
1. Chin tucks
To do this exercise, Dr. Crawford says to gently draw your head straight back, like making a double chin. Hold it for three to five seconds and repeat it 10 times.
2. Wall angels
With your back against a wall, raise your arms into “goal post” position. Then, slide them up and down while keeping your arms and low back in contact with the wall. “This exercise opens the chest and activates the mid-back muscles,” Dr. Crawford explains.
3. Prone Y-T-W raises
Lie face down and lift your arms into Y, T and W shapes. Dr. Crawford explains that this strengthens the muscles between the shoulder blades.
4. Foam roller chest stretch
As the name implies, you’ll need a foam roller for this exercise. Place the foam roller vertically behind your head and spine. Bend your knees flat on the floor and open your arms to the sides, with the elbows bent at 90 degrees. Breathe and relax, holding this position for one minute before gently coming out of it.
Ergonomics and Daily Habits To Prevent Slouching
While setting up your workstation won’t eliminate the risk of shrimp posture, Egbert says that it will provide a solid foundation for working more comfortably. First, you want to make sure your chair is the proper height and you’re sitting in it correctly.
Egbert says the seat height should allow your forearms to be parallel to the desk surface. When sitting, your hips and knees should both be at 90 degrees and your feet should rest flat on the floor. “If raising the chair leaves your feet dangling, add a footrest,” Egbert says.
To ensure spinal support, Egbert says to adjust the chair’s backrest height so the lumbar contour fits snugly into the small of your lower back. “A small, rolled towel or lumbar cushion works wonders if your chair lacks built-in support,” she adds.
Both experts say that your keyboard should be centered directly in front of you and aligned with your monitor. “Keep the mouse on the exact same level and as close to the keyboard as possible to prevent awkward reaching,” Egbert says.
Your computer screen should be directly in front of you at eye-level so you can look at it without bending your neck either up or down. Dr. Crawford says that if you want to look at your phone, bring it up to eye-level instead of looking down.
In addition to having an ergonomical workstation, both experts say that it’s important to take frequent breaks from sitting at your desk. This is the perfect opportunity to move through the stretches recommended above.
No one wants to resemble a shrimp. Keep these tips in mind and you’ll resemble a far more elegant creature.
Up Next:
Related: What Happens to Your Body When You Do Dead Bugs Every Day?
Sources
Ha Park, J., Hyun Moon, J., Ju Kim, H., et al. (2020). Sedentary Lifestyle: Overview of Updated Evidence of Potential Health Risks. Korean Journal of Family Medicine. 41(6):365-373. Kristianne Egbert, CPE, certified professional ergonomist with Briotix Health. Dr. Sarah Cash Crawford, PT, DPT, physical therapist and the founder of Anchor Wellness and WAVE Physical Therapy & Pilates.Hence then, the article about do you have shrimp posture here s how to know according to a physical therapist was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Do You Have ‘Shrimp Posture’? Here’s How To Know, According to a Physical Therapist )
Also on site :
- Doctor who reportedly wrote a paper on violent teens killed in alleged plot involving her daughter and friends
- Katie Miller throws Karoline Leavitt a party with White House lectern cake as speculation continues over replacement
- Las vacunas contra el cáncer podrían transformar el tratamiento y la prevención, pero la desinformación amenaza su potencial