When your frame is aligned — meaning your heels, knees, pelvis and neck are stacked on top of each other — it moves more efficiently, can carry heavier loads, tires less easily and is less susceptible to strain or injury.

But the minute you sit down to update your Facebook page or drive to the store, you’ll likely drop your chin, tilt your head forward and round or hunch your shoulders. This pulls your muscles and ligaments out of balance — some muscles grow tight while others become weak — leading to back and neck pain, headaches, fatigue and other problems.

Still, it takes years to develop slouched shoulder syndrome and vulture neck, conditions that can’t be reversed overnight. Simply increasing physical activity doesn’t necessarily help; when a person with bad posture becomes more active it’s “like driving around with a crooked axle and hoping that the driving will straighten it out,” said Esther Gokhale, founder of the Gokhale Method, which treats chronic pain through postural adjustments.

These moves can help you stand up straight

If you’re having pain, get your posture assessed by a physical or occupational therapist who can test muscle strength and flexibility, and can make adjustments to your work station if you have a sedentary job. The following exercises can also help strengthen the muscles that grow overused and tight.

The OJ squeeze

When shoulders hunch, the muscles that stabilize the shoulder — the rhomboids and mid-trapezius muscles — become weak.

Try it: Pretend you’re holding an orange between your shoulder blades and try to squeeze it to make juice by bringing the shoulder blades (scapula) down and together, said physical therapist Paul Drew, the author of the book “Red Carpet Posture.” Hold for 10 seconds. You’ll also stretch out the front of your shoulders, which may be tight from slouchy desk posture.

The shoulder roll

Hunching the back forward compresses the front section of certain spinal discs and squeezes the contents backward, similar to squeezing one side of a s’more, said Gokhale, author of “8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back.” “Over time, this action wears and tears the fibrous exterior at the back of the disc,” she said.

Try it: Move one shoulder forward, upward and as far backward as you comfortably can without significantly moving your body. Gently slide your shoulder blade down along your spine. Your shoulder may settle further back than usual. Repeat on the other side.

The 5-minute rest

The eyes are often overlooked when it comes to posture. Once they’re overused or fatigue, the head moves forward, taking us out of alignment, said Donna Eshelman, a Los Angeles-based Feldenkrais practitioner who teaches posture improvement to desk workers.

Try it:  “Cup” your eyes by interlacing your fingers and placing the heels of your hands on your cheekbones and outer eyes to block out the light. This will help “oxygenate your fatigued muscles, improve breathing and restore your alignment,” said Eshelman. Repeat once an hour.