Last fall, I visited a physiotherapist. There was a sharp pain in my shoulder and it was hard to move my neck. I assumed it was a crick from sleeping badly, or an old weightlifting injury. But as the practitioner began his assessment, he asked a simple question: Did I spend a lot of time on my phone or laptop?
Too much screen time can lead to posture issues. A survey in the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care noted that prolonged screen-based activity significantly raises the risk of musculoskeletal disorders, which can mean shoulder or neck pain and headaches.
"It's the modern lifestyle," said Tristan Kwon, a registered physiotherapist in Toronto. He notes that "tech neck" - stiffness in the neck and shoulder from too much time in a static position - is a growing concern for office workers.
My pain cleared up with stretching and heat, but I kept thinking about the underlying cause. My natural standing position sees my head tilt forward like a baby shrimp. Save for sleep, there is hardly an hour when I'm not hunched over a device. Deep in my mid-30s, could I still change that?
Over eight weeks, what began as a lighthearted attempt at self-improvement seeped into nearly every part of my day. I knew my shoulders were rounded and my neck pushed forward. What was less clear was what proper alignment actually looked like.
"Posture is about load management. Your spine alignment gives you indicators about what your load management is like," said Wayne Seeto, a registered physiotherapist and trainer at a clinic in Toronto. "Some areas are going to be excessively loaded or compressed, some excessively elongated and tensioned."
A neutral spine keeps its natural curves at the neck, mid-back and lower back, reducing strain on muscles and joints. But according to Seeto, the route to better posture isn't about chasing perfect alignment. Not a goal, but a process.
"It's more about increasing capacity rather than fixing something. Because posture isn't just one thing, it's not static, it's dynamic." That requires knowing what your resting posture feels like. An osteopath or physiotherapist can offer insight, and some posture-assessment apps offer rough at-home evaluations.
I kept the eight-week program simple: daily stretches that took little time and worked at home or in the office. I chose a stretching app that pings you with a daily reminder, and lined up a Thai massage class and a Pilates session.
Two moves stayed in heavy rotation. First, the chin tuck: looking straight ahead, I'd slowly push my chin backward without changing my gaze, creating a "double chin" effect and holding for about five seconds.
Then the shoulder blade squeeze. Imagine a pencil between your shoulder blades that you're trying to pinch. Push them together and hold for a couple of seconds. I'd repeat both moves five to 10 times every few hours.
Even with this basic plan, I was surprised at how reluctant I was to follow through, though sessions took under 10 minutes. This is how I carry myself when I'm not thinking, and it causes me pain? It didn't help that during the Thai massage class I pinched a nerve in my back when an overzealous instructor put his full body weight on the back of my legs to push a stretch.
Even when things went well, it wasn't an easy fit. An hour of loosening neck and shoulder tension with a Pilates instructor left me with more mobility than ever - so much so that I almost lost my balance walking out. Three-quarters through, I had missed many days, intimidated by the classes, and the whole thing felt awkwardly self-conscious.
Two weeks ago I signed up for a trial at a yoga studio near my house. In previous classes I had been chasing a goal. At yoga, I listened to what my body was capable of. Doing this in a physical space, rather than glued to my phone, made it easier to stretch outside class too - a shift in attitude, not in form. I wasn't doing this to be the best. I was doing it because it made me feel good.
I started the project chasing perfect alignment, treating better posture as a victory to be won. It didn't go according to plan. If you're starting your own posture journey, go slow, find movement patterns you can repeat regularly, and get some gentle in-person care. Habits take longer than eight weeks, but I'm starting to notice differences: the pain in my neck hasn't popped up again, and my shoulders feel loose for the first time in years.