Wait, What did I Say?
I said there is no perfect posture! It is even questionable if there is bad posture! Many recent findings have found no relationship to posture and symptomology (read: pain). These studies have found that in the low back, the amount of curvature does not relate to symptoms (1). In the neck and upper back many findings are similar. Authors in the BJSM (British Journal of Sports Medicine) were unable to find a link between shoulder symptoms and posture (2). To explain, it has long been theorized that if you have bad posture, it limits your ability to reach overhead, thus causing shoulder pain.
Why is Everyone Getting on Me for My Posture Then?
This is a really good question. The answer is quite simple. You can sit all day long without moving (like I am doing when writing this). By doing this day in and day out, we can then have restricted motion. Our joints get stuck and they can't move. This is where posture can play a roll in symptoms. When we are young(er) we can sit at a desk at school, then we get up and walk around about every hour. During this time, our bodies are moving, plus they are more agile. This movement and changing of positions helps to keep the joints of the spine lubricated and maintain their ability to move. As adults we tend to take less of these breaks to walk around and move.
We sit at work for up to 10 hours, often eating lunch at our desks. We usually sit in the car or on the train or bus during our commute both before and after work. When we get home we sit at the dinner table or on the couch. All of this sitting without moving in other motions is how we get stuck with "bad" posture.
So Is My Posture "Bad?"
When people ask me this question, my answer is always "It depends." The reason this is really the best answer is because it does depend on how you move, how you feel, and how you movement habits. If you sit all day long and never move, and you aren't able to move your spine and shoulder blades to reach up to the cabinet, then yes, you have bad posture. If you practice yoga and lift weights and move around a lot for work, the answer is most likely no. Most people fall somewhere in the middle so to give someone a good answer, it is best to see you in person or virtually to assess your movement.
What Can I do to Prevent Getting Stuck?
If you think that you have a posture issue, the best thing you can do is start a movement practice. This includes an exercise regime of your choice (CrossFit, Orange Theory, Yoga, etc.). But I want to emphasize two things that I call the "Movement Snack" and the "Movement Practice."
Movement Snack
A "movement snack" is when you periodically, throughout the day, move. This can simply be standing up from your chair and reaching overhead and doing some twists and turns. It can be getting up and walking down the hall to talk to a co-worker or family member. I recommend trying to do one "movement snack" every hour.
Movement Practice
The "movement practice" can vary for everyone. It is something that you do to make sure you go through your full range of motion at every joint every day. That can be done anytime during the day, but it should all be done together and take about 5-10 minutes.
Exercises to Improve Spinal Mobility
Here are some videos to help improve or maintain your spinal mobility.
There are a lot of videos on our YouTube Channel as well.
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