Physical Therapy Services
Postural Training
Retraining how you sit, stand and move so pain does not keep returning.
Postural Training
Posture is less about holding one 'correct' position and more about how well you can change position. Long hours at a desk, driving, or repeated work tasks let some muscles shorten and others switch off, and the result is often neck, shoulder or lower back pain that keeps coming back after it settles.
Postural training starts with an assessment of how you actually sit, stand and move, including the positions you hold longest during your day. From there you are given a specific programme of strengthening, mobility and movement cues, along with practical adjustments to your workstation or daily routine.
The aim is that the relief you get from hands-on treatment holds, because the mechanics that caused the problem have changed.
How This Works
What postural training treatment involves
Posture is less about holding one correct position and more about how well you can change position. Long hours at a desk, driving, or repeated work tasks let some muscles shorten and others switch off, and the result is often neck, shoulder or lower back pain that returns each time it settles.
Postural training starts from an assessment of how you actually sit, stand and move, including the positions you hold longest during your day. From there you are given a specific programme of strengthening, mobility and movement cues, together with practical adjustments to your workstation or daily routine. The aim is that relief from hands-on treatment holds, because the mechanics that produced the problem have changed.
What to Expect
Your visits, step by step
Looking at your actual day
Your therapist asks about how your time is really spent — hours seated, driving, lifting, screen height, which shoulder carries the bag — because the position you hold for six hours matters more than the one you can hold for six seconds in the clinic.
Movement assessment
You are assessed for which areas have become stiff and which muscles are not doing their share, since posture problems are usually that combination rather than a simple matter of "sitting up straight".
A specific programme, not a poster
You are given mobility work for what is stiff, strengthening for what is not holding, and cues you can actually apply during the day. Everything is demonstrated and practised in the room.
Practical changes and review
Workstation and routine adjustments are discussed, then reviewed at follow-up visits — what you managed to change and what did not fit your day is the useful information for the next round.
Benefits
What postural training treatment is used for
- Used to address neck, shoulder and lower back symptoms associated with sustained postures at a desk, in a vehicle or at repetitive work.
- Used to address the combination of stiffness in some areas and weakness in others that develops from holding one position for long periods.
- Applied to the mechanics behind a recurring problem, which is why it is often used alongside hands-on treatment rather than instead of it.
- Includes practical adjustments to a workstation or daily routine, so the change carries into the hours outside the clinic.
Results of an injury vary from person to person. What is appropriate for you is decided at your evaluation — call (718) 714-6995 and we can talk it through.
Common Questions
Postural Training FAQs
Is there one correct posture I should be holding?
No. The more useful goal is variety and capacity — being able to change position comfortably and having the strength and mobility to hold different positions without symptoms. Sitting rigidly upright all day is its own kind of sustained load.
Will I need special equipment or a new chair?
Not necessarily. A lot of what is recommended is adjustment of what you already have — screen height, chair setup, how often you change position. Your therapist will go through what is practical for your particular setup.
How much of this is exercise I do at home?
A substantial part. Postural training works through what you do during the day, so the home programme and the routine changes matter at least as much as the time spent in the clinic.
Can this be combined with hands-on treatment?
Yes, and it usually is. Hands-on work addresses the tissue that has become restricted or irritable; postural training addresses why it keeps being loaded that way.
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