the ultimate

POSTURE
CHECKLIST
FOR SITTING, STANDING AND SLEEPING

SPINEANDPOSTURECARE.COM.AU
 JUST IMAGINE
You wake up in the morning, refreshed from
your sleep, get out of bed and you’re not feeling
stiff or sore.

You get to your office, sit down with your coffee

and feel comfortable that you’re not going to
leave at the end of the day with pain in your
back.

You stand up throughout the day, walking tall

knowing your posture is looking good.

Better yet, you know everything you’re doing to

maintain your posture is helping you stop that
neck or back pain from coming on weeks,
months or years later.

Mark off these posture tips when you’re sitting,

sleeping or standing to make sure you’re
maintaining the best posture at all times.
SITTING
CHECKLIST
BACK AGAINST THE BACKREST
Keep your back supported in an upright position without having to force yourself
to sit straight

BUM AS FAR BACK AS POSSIBLE IN YOUR CHAIR

Allows you to keep your back supported by the backrest

PULL YOUR SHOULDERS BACK

Keeps you upright and allows the muscles in your shoulders and neck to stay
relaxed

SHOULDERS RELAXED AND LOW, NOT HIGH AND HUNCHED

Keeping your shoulders down reduces strain whereas when they’re high it can
cause fatigue, forward rolled shoulders and tension buildup

HIPS AND KNEES AT APPROXIMATELY 90 DEGREES

Reduces pressure on your pelvis and lower back and keeps your pelvis in a neutral
position

KNEES SHOULD BE SLIGHTLY LOWER THAN YOUR HIPS

Limits pressure on the front of your hips and helps keep your lower back curve in a
neutral position

FEET FLAT ON THE FLOOR (USE A FOOTREST IF THEY DON’T REACH)

Allows your body to stay balanced, stable and reduce tilting or tension build up in
the pelvis and lower back

DON’T CROSS YOUR LEGS OR SIT ON THEM

Prevents tiling of the body and muscle imbalances from occurring
TOP OF MONITOR IN LINE WITH EYES
Allows you to keep your head in neutral so you’re not looking up or down at your
screen

ELBOWS CLOSE TO SIDE OF YOUR BODY

Helps keep your shoulders back and prevents them from rolling forward

WRISTS RESTING ON DESK

Prevents them from tilting up or down and reduces strain

FOREARMS PARALLEL WITH THE FLOOR

Helps keep the shoulders in a relaxed position

MOUSE AND KEYBOARD IN REACHING DISTANCE

Prevents you from leaning forward causing your shoulders to round

MONITOR SHOULD BE 1 ARMS LENGTH AWAY FROM YOU

Minimises eye strain and prevents your head from poking forward

DON’T LEAN TO ONE SIDE

Stops muscle imbalances and tilting in the spine

DON’T SIT FOR MORE THAN 30 MINUTES AT A TIME

Constant movement prevents bad posture and limits tension and stiffness in the
spine
STANDING
CHECKLIST
STAND TALL AS IF SOMEONE WAS PULLING A STRING ATTACHED TO
THE TOP YOUR HEAD
Allows traction in your spine and keeps you upright

TUCK YOUR CHIN IN (DON’T LET YOUR CHIN LIFT UP OR GO DOWN)

Prevents forward head movement and keeps your neck in a neutral position

PULL YOUR SHOULDERS BACK

Stops fatigue and tension and minimises rounding in your shoulders

DON’T LEAN ON ONE FOOT

Limits asymmetry and imbalances in your muscles and spine

PUT YOUR WEIGHT BETWEEN THE BALLS OF YOUR FEET AND YOUR
HEEL
Helps maintain optimal centre of gravity so you’re not leaning forward

LET YOUR ARMS HANG NATURALLY BY YOUR SIDE

Reduces shoulder tension and fatigue and minimises hunching in your mid back

STAND WITH YOUR FEET SHOULDER WIDTH APART

Evenly distributes weight between right and left side

DON’T LET YOUR PELVIS TILT FORWARD

Keeps the curve in your lower back in a neutral position
HEAD SHOULD SIT ABOVE YOUR SHOULDERS
Minimises forward head carriage and tension in your neck

DON’T STAND IN THE SAME POSITION FOR TOO LONG (IF YOU HAVE
TO: SHIFT YOUR WEIGHT BETWEEN THE BALLS OF YOUR FEET AND
THE HEELS OF YOUR FEET)
Reduces pressure build up on your lower back minimising fatigue which can cause
forward leaning  posture

BONUS TEST:
Stand with your back against the wall to assess your standing posture. If your head
doesn’t touch the wall comfortably or the curve in your low back is noticeably off
the wall your posture needs to improve!
 Z
Z
Z

SLEEPING
CHECKLIST
SLEEP ON YOUR SIDE OR YOUR BACK (IDEALLY ON YOUR SIDE)
This helps to reduce pressure on your lower back and keep your spinal curves in a
normal position

KEEPS YOUR KNEES BENT WITH A PILLOW IN BETWEEN YOUR LEGS

WHEN SLEEPING ON YOUR SIDE
Reduces pressure on your lower back and prevent your pelvis from twisting

SLEEP WITH A PILLOW UNDER YOUR KNEES WHEN SLEEPING ON

YOUR BACK
Helps to reduce the curve in your lower back

HUG A PILLOW WHEN SLEEPING ON YOUR SIDE

Prevents your shoulders from rounding to keep your spine in a neutral position

DON’T SLEEP ON YOUR STOMACH

Stops the curve increasing in your lower back and compression of your spinal
joints and muscles

A MEDIUM TO FIRM MATTRESS IS BEST

Supports the spine while still allowing cushioning for comfortable sleep

SLEEP ON A MEMORY FOAM OR LATEX PILLOWS

Gives the neck support to maintain the proper curve in your neck and reduce pain

PILLOW FIRMNESS DEPENDS ON YOUR SIZE AND SLEEP POSITION

Your pillow should be firm enough, so your head doesn’t sink too deep into the
pillow (so your neck doesn’t tilt) but not too firm that your head starts tilting in the
opposite direction.

DON’T SLEEP ON YOUR STOMACH

Just in case you missed it the first time!
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I'm Dr. Mark El-Hayek, CEO and head Chiropractor at Spine

and Posture Care in Sydney CBD.

We're a health clinic that focus on spinal problems and

postural rehabilitation to get people back to their normal
daily lives without the worry of poor posture and pain.

For the past 10 years I've helped people go from, I need help
fixing my posture to this is the best I've ever felt! Hopefully
you can be one of them.

If you're struggling with poor posture and not sure what you
can do about it, book a free 15 minute phone consult so we
can help you work out exactly whats going on and what you
can do to correct it.

BOOK A FREE
PHONE CONSULT