What’s the Truth about Good Posture?

What Position is Good Posture?

Our body is an adaptable machine. When we expose it to constant and persistent positions, our body adapts to get good at those positions or postures. For some people, being in a slouched posture may cause pain and discomfort, and for others slouching may actually feel quite good. The opposite is also true. For some people being in a stereotypical “good posture position” might actually cause pain or discomfort. For example, someone with a disc problem will likely experience an increase in pain when sitting slouched over for long periods of time, that is relieved with standing. Conversely, for someone with spinal stenosis standing for prolonged periods of time might aggravate symptoms, and these symptoms improve with sitting in a slouched posture.

So before we jump to a conclusion about posture being a source of pain, it is important to rule out some other things that might be causing the pain or discomfort, and understand why certain positions may be comfortable or uncomfortable.

Good posture is essentially the position you are not currently in. It’s not about the position of the posture, but the amount of time in sustained postures that is more of a factor in contributing to pain and discomfort. There are studies that have shown that prolonged sitting, no matter how straight or upright you are, increases the risk of low back pain.

This means that what is most important is getting in frequent movement throughout the day and to reduce time in sustained postures. Our bodies like to move and move often. It is important to change position frequently throughout the day. While there is no exact prescription for this as everyone is different, start with changing your position every 30 minutes. You can go out and buy an expensive office chair, but if you are sitting in it all day without changing position or moving often, you still can feel pain and discomfort. This is not to discount things like ergonomics as important, but they are only a piece of the puzzle.

Strategies to Reduce Sedentary Posture

Here are some strategies to reduce sedentary posture (Conen et al 2016)

• Task substitution
  • Alternating tasks to use different muscles groups or parts of the body
  • Alternate between sitting and standing while completing tasks
• Task Interruption
  • Ensure that you take break, especially where there is not high task variability
  • Use short breaks to perform stretching or suitable exercise to offload the muscle groups that you are using during sedentary tasks
  • Use natural stopping points (between tasks, during/after phone calls, after checking your email) to change position and stretch
• Increasing Incidental Exercise
  • Use the stairs instead of the elevator at the office
  • Take part in walking meetings
  • Walk or standing during meal breaks or when not on camera during a video call
  • Use active methods for commuting (walk, bike, bus, etc)

In summary, the concept of “good” posture vs “bad” posture is not supported by evidence. Poor posture on its own it not associated with pain. What is most important is to avoid sustained posture throughout the day. Office ergonomics are only a part of the puzzle and will not completely fix pain when sitting for prolonged periods of time. Make sure to incorporate stretching, exercise, and alternative movements during the work day to take some of the stress off some of the muscle.

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