The mere mention of posture sends shivers down the spine of many desk workers, shocking them into rolling their shoulders back and pushing their chest forward. But slouching at your computer isn’t an inherently bad thing.
“There’s no link between posture and pain,” Alex Morrell, founder of Move Physiotherapy, tells me. “Most people assume back problems and back pain are linked to poor posture, and slouching in particular, but there is zero scientific research to support that.”
Instead, he says, “the best posture is the next posture”. The body is built to move, so changing positions semi-regularly is the ticket to a robust, limber spine – among other joints and muscles. But this message is often lost.
The spine has come to be seen as a feeble thing in recent years. Consequently, it is often wrapped in cotton wool and kept in a neutral position. However, Morrell says it is far less fragile than many would have you believe, and this viewpoint does more harm than good in the long run.
This is because, with nothing to stay strong for, the underused tissues in and around the spine weaken over time, leaving them more susceptible to injury.
Below, Morrell explains why “head up, shoulders back” misses the mark as a gold standard for posture. And what you should do instead.
The posture paradox
If someone wants to improve their posture, there is some value to walking – and sitting – tall.
“The problem is when that ‘shoulders back, nice proud chest’ posture is your only posture, what usually happens is people go into spinal extension [where the spine bends backwards],” says Morrell,
Maintaining this posture for long periods will make someone incredibly capable in this position. But they will be weaker when they have to move their spine in other ways, such as bending and twisting. This is the value of regularly moving your spine in varied ways – practising for the rigours of daily life.
There are other benefits to maintaining an upright posture, Morrell adds.
“A lot of human behaviour can also be driven by posture. You can make a subconscious interpretation of someone’s mood based on what their posture looks like, so I think that’s why people attach quite a lot of importance to it.”
As such, striding into a business meeting with a confident posture is to be advised. You just don’t have to maintain this 24/7, as some might suggest.
Read more: The exercise more important than walking – especially if you’re older
Posture can convey mood and confidence, but physiotherapist Alex Morrell says it is not as important as people believe for preventing back pain (Getty/iStock)
Profit from posture
Beware the products that market posture as a “problem” – then try to sell you the solution.
“That can include both providing therapy in whatever modality, and also selling devices that claim to be able to improve your posture,” he says. “There are a lot of these nowadays – things to hook around your shoulders and pull your shoulders back.
“But as a human being, your body is one of the most adaptable structures on the planet and you want to have movement options available to be able to do all of the key things that your spine needs to do; flex, extend, side bend, rotate and any combination of these movements.
“The only way to do that is by gradually exposing yourself to these varied movements and earning the right to do them safely and effectively.”
Read more: Three exercises to combat a stiff spine from sitting at a desk all day
Back pain is one of the most common injuries in the world – devices claiming to fix your posture are not the solution (Getty/iStock)
The solution? Stop posturing, start moving
“The aim is to slowly introduce varied movements into your life,” Morrell advises.
“People catastrophise very quickly: ‘When I sit in this position, I feel stiff and sore’. But almost anyone would feel stiff and sore if they sat in the same position for three hours.
“The problem isn’t sitting in that position – the problem is sitting in that position without moving for hours and not moving your body regularly enough.”
The most common spot where people spend long spells in the same position is at their desk. Regular movement is the most obvious solution, and the best way to introduce this is finding a method that slips seamlessly into your existing routine. This can take many forms, including setting an alarm to remind you to move.
Instead, Morell suggests a far simpler solution: “If you feel stiff, change your position.”
“If you are slouching, sit more upright for a bit; if you’re sitting upright, you might slouch a bit more,” he continues. “If you’ve got a standing desk and feel stiff and sore while sitting down, stand up. Or stretch your legs – go to the loo or make a coffee.
“It’s just about doing really simple things in a simple way, rather than catastrophising and exaggerating the impact of being at a desk.”
Read more: I specialise in coaching people aged 40-plus – do these six things for immediate results
Stepping away from your desk for a short period, even if it is just to go to the toilet or make a coffee, is a useful way to add more movement into your day and combat tightness in your joints and muscles (Getty/iStock)
Be an aeroplane, not a helicopter
Aim to gently and gradually introduce new and consistent movements – progressing them over time to increase the range of motion you are accessing and, in some cases, the load you are supporting.
As sports therapist Jordan Sahota put it: “We want to take off like an aeroplane, not a helicopter.” This means progressing incrementally, rather than shooting straight for the sky. The body can adapt to far more than most of us give it credit for, but it has to be given time to do so, as human movement specialist and The Training Stimulus founder Ash Grossmann explains.
“Tissue tolerance is the amount of stress, force or load that a particular tissue or body part can handle,” he says. “If you’ve damaged part of your body, then on some level, a tissue has been exposed to more stress or load than it can manage. To be as resilient as possible, we want our tissue tolerance to exceed the demands that we place on our body.
“…If you have an idea of the type of stresses that you will face, you can progressively overload those stresses at a rate you can adapt to, so the body is gradually laying down stronger, more robust tissue. Then, when those forces are imposed on it in future, it can handle them.”
If you just want to prepare for your daily mobility needs, bodyweight movements that work your spine through all planes of motion – flexing, extending, bending and twisting – will likely suffice.
If you know you will face greater demands, such as those experienced in sport and exercise, or more intense tasks like picking up children and carrying heavy shopping, strength training is a good way to build a more robust body in a controlled environment, with clear and tangible progressions.
Read more: Four things you can do to reduce inflammation and cut heart disease risk, according to the experts
