Bad posture can place undue stress on the spine, as well as neck, back and muscle problems. <\/p>\n
\u201cFor every inch you tilt it forward, the amount of weight it places on your spine nearly doubles,\u201d Cleveland Clinic chiropractor Dr. Andrew Bang said in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n Knowing why your posture is bad can be half of the battle, experts say, and there are some fairly quick fixes to help you sit tall and feel good – but that are better started sooner rather than later. <\/p>\n \u201cThe longer we have poor posture, the harder it is to correct,\u201d Brown University Health <\/a>notes. \u201cBut there are ways you can adjust how you sit and stand to achieve all the health benefits of good posture.\u201d<\/p>\n The shrimp posture is a fairly easy one to solve. It typically occurs in people whose mid-back, deep neck flexors and glute muscles are weak, physical therapists told Prevention<\/a>. Having a desk that\u2019s too high or a monitor that\u2019s too low can contribute to this shape. <\/p>\n The position is characterized by shoulders hunching toward the ears, a tailbone ache, a head leaning toward a screen and tension between the shoulders. <\/p>\n Workers can fight this posture with several exercises. And building muscle is the way to ensure your posture becomes better over time, physical therapist Dr. Sarah Cash Crawford said.<\/p>\n To stop the shoulder hunch, Harvard Medical School recommends sitting up straight and clasping your hands behind your back with palms facing the back. Then liftting the hands up and down, holding in place for ten seconds.<\/p>\n But just putting your arms behind your back helps.<\/p>\n \u201cAn easy way to stretch your chest muscles: simply put your arms behind your back, grasp both elbows (or forearms if that’s as far as you can reach) and hold the position,\u201d Harvard advised<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cTech neck\u201d is a part of the shrimp posture that comes from staring down at your phone. To fight the habit, tuck the chin back toward the spine. That strengthens the front muscles in the front of the neck.<\/p>\n \u201cChin tucks work the deep cervical flexor muscles that support good posture. This helps counterbalance forward head posture to reduce neck strain with tech neck,\u201d GoodRX physical therapist Kristen Gasnick wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n And if you carry a heavy bag daily – particularly on one shoulder or side – this can impact how you walk, Houston Neurosurgery and Spine<\/a> cautions.<\/p>\n Carrying a smaller, lighter bag is a quick fix, as well as switching shoulders as you carry but so is strengthening and stretching your upper body.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/illustration-posture-sitting-desk.jpeg\")
A graphic explains good v bad posture at a desk to avoid \u2018shrimp posture\u2019 (NIH)<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2277987785.jpeg\")
A soccer fan looks at his phone during a game last May in London, England. Tech neck can occur when looking at a smartphone, computer or other device (Getty)<\/p>\n