Your Next Posture Is Your Best Posture, The Importance Of Movement
Do you have a great ergonomic set-up, keep a good posture while working or studying, and still find you have a sore body by the end of the day?
Contrary to popular belief, current research has found that there is very little correlation between posture and pain. A recent study (Richards et al., 2016) found that adolescents with a slumped upper back and forward head posture were not more likely to get pain when compared to other more upright postures. There is really no ‘good’ posture or ‘bad’ posture. Instead it is often recommended to relax into various positions while we sit and stand.
So then why do we then have pain at the end of the day? It’s important to remember that pain is complex and can be influenced by our biological, social and psychological experiences.
One aspect that may be worth considering is movement, or perhaps, our lack of it. It is now thought that holding static postures for prolonged periods may contribute to our pain experience. A 2019 study observed that individuals with chronic low back pain tend to have static sitting behaviours when compared to those without back pain (Bontrup et al., 2019). Implementing positional changes throughout our day may be more effective than finding the ‘perfect’ posture.
We know that sometimes it's easier said than done to increase movement throughout the day, especially when we work and study. Here are some helpful tips that may help to reduce long held postures.
Task variety
- If possible, alternate in between different tasks so that you can move in different ways
- Alternate between sitting, standing and walking while you work throughout the day
Task interruption
- Take short breaks after a work period. Some government bodies recommend two-three minutes in each 15-20 min, five minutes in each 30 min or 10 min in each hour. However you can find the work-break cycle that works for you.
- Use short breaks to perform stretching or suitable exercise to offload muscle groups used during sedentary task
Increase Incidental Exercise
- Take the steps instead of the lifts or escalators
-Take a walks after meal times or during meeting
- Try using public transport or biking to where possible to increase incidental exercise
So next time you feel a little achy, use it as a signal to change your posture or get moving. Finally, we can stop worrying about perfecting our posture and instead remember that ‘your next posture is your best posture.’
References
Bontrup, C., Taylor, W. R., Fliesser, M., Visscher, R., Green, T., Wippert, P.-M., & Zemp, R. (2019). Low back pain and its relationship with sitting behaviour among sedentary office workers. Applied Ergonomics, 81, 102894. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2019.10289
Coenen, P., Gilson, N., Healy, G. N., Dunstan, D. W., & Straker, L. M. (2017). A qualitative review of existing national and International Occupational Safety and health policies relating to occupational sedentary behaviour. Applied Ergonomics, 60, 320–333. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2016.12.01
Hanna, F., Daas, R. N., El-Shareif, T. J., Al-Marridi, H. H., Al-Rojoub, Z. M., & Adegboye, O. A. (2019). The relationship between sedentary behavior, back pain, and psychosocial correlates among university employees. Frontiers in Public Health, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2019.000800
O’Sullivan, P. B., Smith, A. J., Beales, D. J., & Straker, L. M. (2011). Association of biopsychosocial factors with degree of slump in sitting posture and self-report of back pain in adolescents: A cross-sectional study. Physical Therapy, 91(4), 470–483. https://doi.org/10.2522/ptj.2010016
Richards, K. V., Beales, D. J., Smith, A. J., O’Sullivan, P. B., & Straker, L. M. (2016). Neck posture clusters and their association with biopsychosocial factors and neck pain in Australian adolescents. Physical Therapy, 96(10), 1576–1587. https://doi.org/10.2522/ptj.2015066
Slater, D., Korakakis, V., O’Sullivan, P., Nolan, D., & O’Sullivan, K. (2019). “Sit up straight”: Time to re-evaluate. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 49(8), 562–564. https://doi.org/10.2519/jospt.2019.0610
The straight and narrow of posture. Australian Journal of General Practice. (n.d.). https://www1.racgp.org.au/ajgp/2021/november/posture-clinical-concepts