“Stand up straight, pull your shoulders back, puff out your chest, stretch damn it”, these are not the advice of your mom, but of the occupational therapist at your company seeing you hunched over your keyboard.
So many tips that can make sense in certain situations, but the devil is in the details…
Let’s see 4 big myths about posture.
1. Posture is like the hunter!
“There is good posture and bad posture!”
Surprise question, if I show you a photo of an employee slumped in front of his post next to another who stands impeccably straight, which of the two has the correct posture?
You’re going to tell me the straight guy, right?
Well, it’s not all black or white…”I don’t think there is good or bad posture” Posturix might say.
In fact, what is sometimes thought to be poor posture can turn out to be beneficial in terms of energy efficiency.
For example, standing up straight in a chair will take more energy to maintain than leaning slightly forward, especially over the long term.
But the idea is not to be hunched over as much as possibleit’s just to understand that the best working position is the following.
So vary as much as possible!
Obviously, we will avoid having a hunched posture in a job interview, but beyond making a good impression, it does not offer more advantage.
2. Improve posture = reduce pain
People who suffer from back, neck and shoulder pain believe that correcting their posture will help them.
However, numerous studies carried out over the last decade refute the idea of a posture/pain correlation.
There is even a known effect of and the plan.
The nocebo is when you become more fragile and vulnerable to pain because you think something is wrong, it’s the opposite of placebo.
Basically, if you think something is wrong with your posture, that belief can create or worsen pain that you might not otherwise notice.
A 2018 study (1) had already refuted the correlation between the “text neck” posture (head down while looking at the phone) and neck pain in 18-21 year olds.
This was reinforced by another 2021 study (2) on 582 volunteers aged 18 to 65.
Here is another (3) that shows little evidence between a rounded upper back (thoracic kyphosis) and shoulder pain.
So contrary to the alarming titles of some articles, there is not enough serious scientific data at present to say that poor posture is the main cause of pain.
Of course, some jobs can create postural stress that induces pain.
More pain is multifactorial and while postural stress at work can certainly be a contributing factor, other factors such as sleep and stress can also play an important role.
If your job requires you to sit for long hours (secretaries for example), here is what you can do:
- steadily shifting your weight from left to right,
- place a support for your feet under your desk, alternate right foot on the ground / left foot on the box and vice versa,
- put a rolled up towel on your lower back,
- get up,
- regularly bring your shoulders back to stretch,
- mobilize your neck,
- …
3. You can fix your posture in 5 minutes a day
Perhaps the only reason that prevents you from standing straight is a weak posterior chain.
In this case, 5/10 minutes of daily stretching/mobility will not be probably not enough to reverse the trend.
However, it’s not a waste of time, see our guide: 5 minutes a day to help your posture with this simple routine.
It’s always a good idea because you’re active and you can trigger a placebo effect.
But if you’ve tried these little exercises and it didn’t change anything, it’s okay to give them up.
But if you really want to do something about your posture, you’re not going to be able to escape resistance training!
A good resistance routine should include:
- a squat-like movement,
- a hip hinge type movement (rotation of the hips, like a deadlift),
- a horizontal draw,
- a vertical pull (pull-up type),
- a horizontal pushing movement,
- a vertical pushing motion.
To find out more, read our guide: 3 bodybuilding exercises to improve your posture.
What to take away from all this?
When it comes to back pain, we tend to panic very quickly (much more than for arm pain for example).
Maybe you need to be less catastrophic and focus on changing your working posture more frequently.
Posture might not even be a real issue for you!
Here are the top recommendations:
- Do 2-3 resistance training sessions per week, which will allow you to be better prepared for daily tasks,
- Have a regular cardio routine or step count goal, this will support overall postural health,
- Try to vary your posture regularly throughout the day,
- Be aware that the perception of pain can be influenced by many factors such as the way you sleep and stress management,
- Don’t be alarmist when you feel pain, be patient and work on moderating the tasks you need to do in a less painful way.
If the pain drags on and is too disabling for you, you should of course consult your healthcare professional.
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