Posture... is there a right and a wrong?

A question I get asked often, especially from individuals suffering from back and/or neck pain, is, “Is sitting bad for me?” or “Should I get a standing desk?” This is further augmented by studies stating that we spend, on average, 6 hours a day sitting, and 37% of people spend more than 8 hours (Win et al., 2015).?

We have probably all seen images like this showing what optimal sitting posture should look like.?

So let’s talk more about what happens to our spines when we’re sitting, more specifically in a slouched position??

• Increased cervical lordosis and thoracic kyphosis (forward bending of the neck and upper back)This strains the upper back and shortens the muscles around the chest?
• Loss of lumbar lordosis (less curvature in the lower back)?This puts more stress and weight onto the surrounding structures of the lumbar spine?
• Overactivation of the back extensor muscles?This constant load on the back extensors can increase the risk of neck and back pain?
• Reduced endurance of trunk muscles, more specifically anterior core muscles.?

Given what’s associated with a slouched posture, one might conclude that sitting upright in an erect position is best for preventing and managing back pain. But is it actually what’s best for you? The answer is no. Sitting up straight means constantly engaging your muscles to hold you up which is not ideal for two reasons: one, it is not sustainable to do that for prolonged periods of time and two, it means constantly contracting your muscles without rest. Imagine doing a bicep curl with a weight and being asked to hold it at 90 degrees for several hours, your biceps would tighten up, feel sore and fatigued and consequently not be able to work as effectively. Same principles apply when it comes to your back!?

There is no one single ‘correct’ posture; the best posture is individualized to you. But an important part is learning how to adopt more relaxed postures. Part of what we do is helping people find their comfortable posture, so it’s important to explore and try different positions/postures to see which ones aggravate, and which ones are comfortable. Remember the spine is not a fragile structure, rather it is robust, strong and can withstand load. However, our body is designed to move so, although sitting for more than 30 minutes is not detrimental, it is good to move your body, hourly, even if it is only for a minute or at least change positions.?

References?

In TS, Jung JH, Jung KS, Cho HY. Spinal and Pelvic Alignment of Sitting Posture Associated with Smartphone Use in Adolescents with Low Back Pain. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Aug 7;18(16):8369