How to improve posture: what the evidence says, eight exercises and a two-week log

Is there such a thing as bad posture?

People often talk of posture as something broken that needs fixing. The sources we read are more careful. Arthritis UK lists poor posture and an inadequate work or home set-up among the possible contributors to back pain, alongside lack of exercise and muscle strains.⁵ It says neck pain and stiffness can come from poor posture when standing, from long periods in the same position, or from poor posture at work.⁶ The NHS lists bad posture, for example when sitting at a desk for a long time, among the common causes of neck pain.¹¹

Those are possible causes, not proven ones. A 2019 viewpoint in the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy, by Slater and colleagues, describes a posture industry with products claiming to “correct” posture and prevent pain, despite an absence of strong evidence for the beliefs behind it.¹

So a fair way to put it is that long, still, awkward positions seem to be linked with discomfort, and the link between how you stand or sit and whether you hurt is weaker than advertising suggests. That is a reason to prefer movement and variety to a rigid “correct” position. Our page on correct sitting posture sets out the HSE set-up and the same caveat.

What the evidence says about posture and pain

Two points are worth drawing out. First, exercise is the intervention with some support: the 2018 meta-analysis found that therapeutic exercise may give a moderate improvement in neck pain when the head sits forward.⁴ Second, none of the studies measured a “time to fix” your posture, and no source we read gives a delay, so this page does not give one.

Our page on forward head posture takes the neck evidence in more detail.

Eight simple exercises, with the counts the sources give

These are general NHS and Arthritis UK exercises, not a treatment for posture. They do not “straighten” your back. The sources describe them as keeping the chest, neck, upper back and lower back flexible and moving. Each row names the page it comes from, and the counts are the ones on that page.

A worked example: the time the holds add up to

Add up the holding time for one round of all eight. Chest stretch: we take 7.5 seconds, the midpoint of 5 to 10, so 7.5 x 5 = 37.5. Twist: 5 x 5 x 2 = 50. Neck rotation: 5 x 3 x 2 = 30. Neck stretch: 5 x 3 x 2 = 30. Chin to chest: 5 x 5 = 25. Head tilt: 5 x 5 x 2 = 50. Pelvic tilt: 5 x 5 = 25. Sideways bend: 2 x 3 x 2 = 12.

The total is 259.5 seconds, a little over 4 minutes (4.3) of holding, before you count the time to change position. That is a small number, which is the point: these are short moves you can fit into a break.

Strength work that supports an active day

The NHS physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64 ask for at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week, plus activities that strengthen the major muscle groups on at least 2 days a week. The groups it lists include the legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms.¹² It also advises reducing the time spent sitting or lying down.¹²

That is a general health recommendation, not a posture programme. No source we read gives sets and repeats for strength work aimed at posture. For the NHS and UK guidance on strength training, see strength training guidelines.

If you use a resting pulse to see how your fitness changes as you build up activity, normal resting heart rate explains how to take it by hand.

Habits: breaks, screens and phone use

The Health and Safety Executive says there is no legal guidance on how long or how often breaks should be, and that 5 to 10 minutes every hour is better than 20 minutes every 2 hours. Breaks should let you get up and move, or at least stretch and change posture.¹⁴

For the screen, the HSE standard set-up has the top of the screen level with your eyes, shoulders relaxed and the keyboard below elbow height.¹⁵ Arthritis UK suggests trying not to stay in the same position for too long, whether sitting at home, at work or in the car.⁵

We found no source on phone use and posture, so this page says nothing about it beyond the general advice to change position.

A two-week plan you can follow

A plan is only a way to keep a habit. This one does not promise a result, and the 0 to 10 scale is our own self-rating, not a clinical score.

At the end of two weeks, look at your own pattern. If stiffness is no different, that is useful information, and it is a reason to speak to a GP if you also have pain.

When to see your GP about neck, back or shoulder pain

For neck pain, the NHS says to see a GP if the pain or stiffness has not improved after a few weeks, if painkillers have not worked, or if you have other symptoms such as pins and needles or a cold arm.¹¹ Arthritis UK says to get advice if neck pain lasts more than a few days, or if you have pain, tingling, numbness or weakness in your arms or legs, or sudden severe pain after a fall or injury.⁶

For back pain, the NHS says to see a GP if the pain is coming from the top of your back, between your shoulders, rather than the lower back.¹³ The NHS list of back pain warning signs, and what to do for each, is on our page on back pain from sitting. Gentle movement for the lower back is on lower back exercises.

Frequently asked questions