“I have bad posture and this is causing my back and neck pain”.
I have been hearing this line in clinic more often lately, and I wanted to share my thoughts on it.
Now hear me out – I can see how if you are sitting down at your desk for too long, and you start getting pain into your mid back, then you would associate the sitting with the pain. Which is 100% correct. However, pain in this case is really like a warning sign. There is no tissue damage, just signals telling your brain to move (for example, take a break, move positions or stand up instead of sitting down). These warning signs are your brains way of telling you that your current position is not favourable (even though it was ok at the beginning). Similar to when you are sitting on the floor, and after some time your body just does not like that position anymore. These warning signs are healthy! It’s important not to ignore them.
I always say to my clients, your best posture is your next posture. Keep it fluid, keep moving and yes you can sit hunched over for as long as you want, just that when those warning signs pop up you need to listen to them and move to the next position. Sometimes, you’ll be able to sit hunched over for quite some time, other times you’ll have max 5 min. This is ok, but if this isn’t normal for you, then possibly you need to seek the advice of a health practitioner as to what you can do to ensure your tolerance to that particular position is increased (think either strength training, stretching or manual therapy).
In addition, there has been no measurable scientific evidence to link “poor posture” to back pain. Facts. So stop stressing about this each time you are sitting at your desk.
My advice? Keep moving, keep fluid and move between your postures. And if the warning signs are happening more often than not, then please book an appointment with me to get back on track.
