Best Posture Corrector for Rounded Shoulders

What is the Best Posture Corrector for Rounded Shoulders?

If you are looking for the best posture corrector for rounded shoulders you are not alone. Rounded shoulders go hand in hand with the sitting based lifestyle that so many of us live. Before we dive in and recommend solutions, there are a few truths to keep in mind. (Jump to a posture product that we do recommend.)

The Key Question – what caused your round shouldered posture?

You have to be able to answer this question before trying to solve anything. The good news is that you probably already know what the main problem is – yes, that’s right, sitting and screen use! The trick to correcting a round shouldered posture is working out whether you need to change the way you are sitting, and/or whether you need to do less of it (if possible).

Many of us use screens both for work and for play. We’ll deal with work first.

Rounded Shoulders from Working

In pre-internet days, a round shouldered posture was likely a result of heavy, manual labour. Those who worked in cramped conditions such as mining, or in factories were very susceptible to having unhealthy posture. The nature of their work was harsh and damaging to back health.

Fast forward to 2018, and despite the huge advances society has made in so many areas, we now have an epidemic of postural issues based on our current work habits – and by that I mean sitting in front of screens.

If your day involves sitting in front of any type of screen for several hours, your body will adapt and part of that adaptation will probably involve your shoulders slumping forward as well as you having a “forward neck”. (See a post we wrote on this topic here.)

Rounded Shoulders from Playing

So you get home after a long day in the office, cook tea, check the kids homework, then . . . relax onto your comfy couch and settle in for the evening either in front of the TV or a computer screen. And guess what? Your shoulders slump forward and take on what has become your “natural” rounded posture. If you count up the hours you spend sitting daily, you will see that it is almost (and this is a key ‘almost’ ) inevitable that your shoulders will round and your posture weaken. Multiply that by several years and . . . well you can do the math.

What options are there for correcting a rounded shoulder posture?

Everyone likes a quick fix, and if you want to skip straight to our recommendations for the best posture corrector for rounded shoulders you can click here. However, the reality is a combination approach will be needed if you want to solve your problem long term.

As usual, we recommend a balanced approach to correcting any postural issues including a rounded shoulder posture.

To make lasting progress you will need a combination of exercise, change of daily habits, and ‘possibly’ some form of product that will support your posture correction efforts.

This video is an athletes response to correcting a round shouldered posture:

You Probably Don’t Need a Posture Product or Device

The reality is that your rounded shoulders (and probably head forward) posture was built, by you, over time. It is a direct reflection of how you hold your body throughout a normal day. The greatest (and quickest) positive gains are going to come from changing aspects of your daily routines. If we go straight to the key points, you need to:

Change the amount of sitting you do
Change the way you sit

You probably already knew this. It’s simple in theory, but a bit harder in practice!

We have written other posts on this topic and if you want some practical suggestions, you can read them here –

Pain When Sitting – The New Lifestyle Illness

Sitting Damaged Posture – Fight Back!