Have you been told you have bad posture?
Have you been told it is the cause of your pain?
What about, if you do not fix your posture then your head is going to fall off of your spine?
I am here to tell you only the facts... that is a bunch of BULL… you know what.
There is no good or bad posture. Posture is just posture. Posture is the result of your body finding the most comfortable position in the environment you are most commonly in. Your body is trying to use the least amount of energy possible to function. It is going to find the path of least resistance. Think about the last time you approached a busy intersection and you needed to turn left. I know for me, instead of waiting and praying to all that is holy to find a gap in the traffic to turn left. I will just take a right and make a U-turn at the next intersection to ease my mind. This is my path of least resistance and it is more comfortable for me. Your body is doing the same thing. It is finding the position it feels more comfortable in.
You can just look at your posture as a result of the environment you are mostly exposed to. So we can take the label off of it being "bad" or "good". It is just a matter of adaptation. We can think of a couple of scenarios here. Let us take a look at a bodybuilder. Bodybuilders build their muscles bigger in a gym because they stay consistent in the gym. They keep exposing the muscles consistently in the same environment and the muscles change and become bigger. Your posture is doing the same thing. If it is constantly being exposed to the same position then it will start changing itself to find that position easier.
We can also look at it from an efficiency and survival standpoint. For giraffes to survive in their environment, they had to adapt to the demands of getting food. They evolved long tongues and necks to be able to reach the only sustainable food source in their environment, which was way up in the tall trees. When you look at posture, you are looking at evolution. It just is what it is. In our society, most of us are required to be at a desk so we can work to provide food for our families.
As a Chiropractor who helps people out of pain, I do consider posture, but it is just a factor. If I told you, your poor posture is the cause of your pain, then I need to go back to school. There are so many factors that play a role in pain.
The ONLY time I will consider changing your posture is if your environment is demanding you to be in positions that could potentially pick your scab. . If you are having pain in that position, then we need to find a painless position to operate in. That position could look like a "good posture" position, but again it is just a position. We do not need to label it as "good" or "bad".
If a client wants to "help" their posture or is worried they are hurting themselves I will explain it like this...
"The best posture is the one that is always changing", OR "the next posture is the best posture". The key is to keep moving and exploring different positions. Set a 20-minute timer and when it goes off, stand up and go for a quick 5-minute walk. If you cannot go for a quick walk. The timer can just remind you to change positions. Try just standing up at your desk and stretching. Standing desks have made a great option to keep working in a different position. As long as you keep moving in and out of positions you are going to be okay.
To summarize, There is no "good" or "bad posture". Posture is just an expression of what your body finds to be the most energy-efficient position in your environment. If you or anyone you know needs any additional advice on posture or taking the next steps to get you out of pain book a FREE 15-minute call with me so I can lead you to the quickest path to your goals.
Sincerely,
