The Importance of Posture

I’ve been writing for a while now and have discovered that my body is suffering a bit.

Last year during November, I realized that when I was immersed in writing my story and sitting in my normal office chair, my posture was terrible. My office chair is not stationary and tends to spin if I’m not paying attention. What would happen as I wrote is I would turn my torso and one shoulder would end up more forward than the other. While this caused no pain at the time, it has had some longer reaching issues.

The shoulder that would be forward has been troubling me for some months. Apparently not enough to see my doctor sooner but it also didn’t get any better. I have this fear of losing the use of my body parts so I’ve finally taken action.

The good news is there is no permanent damage, only inflammation and irritation. The cure for this type of shoulder pain is physical therapy. This is my second round of shoulder pain and physical therapy, just the opposite shoulder.

I’ve had a couple of appointments and I am happy to report things are on the mend. My physical therapist sent home some exercises to complete which I am trying my hardest to complete. I often struggle with doing those things I am supposed to do.

Another thing that he talked about was the importance of posture. Having your chair at the right height to the desk you are using is important. The idea is to have your arms at 45-degree angles to the desk so there is no strain on your back and shoulders.

This is harder than it seems.

I am short. Not horribly so but I must admit that I need to shop in the petite section. This causes problems when the world seems to be built for average sized individuals. I’m not sure what “average size” is, but I know that I don’t reach it. So I must adjust.

At this moment, I am writing from a hard chair with only a cushion on the seat for comfort. The chair works for my new desk, which is a vintage piece of furniture that fits perfectly in my new writing space. My arms are at the correct angle and the writing is going well.

The only problem is my legs and feet. For those who are short, you know what I am talking about. My feet do not sit flat on the floor. While I am used to this problem, it is very uncomfortable to stay in this position for long periods of time.

I wanted to change out my chair for one more comfortable, but the chair was too short for the desk. It would have been hard on my back and shoulders. So my solution, albeit a temporary one, is to put a spacer on the floor under my feet. This small wooden box is nearly the correct height to keep me from dangling my feet.

While I don’t know if this will be permanent, it is what is working for the moment. As I continue on with my PT and my writing I’m sure changes will need to be made. Nothing in life stays the same.

I will keep working on a healthier workspace both at home and at my job. I would hate to struggle with the things I love.