By Dominique Wood-Ward
There are commonly held beliefs that there are associations between posture and pain. The idea that there is a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ posture and one is more likely to cause pain is not well supported by current evidence.
Sustaining one posture for a prolonged period is more likely to cause painful symptoms. People who experience low back pain tend to have fewer changes in sitting position. Shifting posture and having active breaks throughout the work day may be helpful in preventing the onset of low back and neck pain with office workers who are at risk of pain episodes in these areas.
Multiple postures are better than any one posture, and if work won’t allow periodic movement throughout the day, changing your sitting posture is the best way to prevent pain episodes.
In the presence of musculoskeletal pain, some specific movements or postures may be temporarily relieving and help to get you comfortable to allow you to progress back into your normal activities.
Regularly changing posture and incorporating targeted exercise can be an effective way to reduce or manage pain related to postural habits. Our Clinical Exercise Classes—including Matwork and Reformer Pilates—are designed to improve core stability, spinal mobility, and body awareness, helping to prevent pain and support long-term movement health. Click here to learn more about our Clinical Exercise Classes, run by experienced physios and exercise physiologists.
References
Claus AP, Hides JA, Moseley GL, Hodges PW. Different ways to balance the spine in sitting: Muscle activity in specific postures differs between individuals with and without a history of back pain in sitting. Clin Biomech (Bristol). 2018 Feb;52:25-32. doi: 10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2018.01.003. Epub 2018 Jan 10. PMID: 29353149.
Korakakis V, O’Sullivan K, O’Sullivan PB, Evagelinou V, Sotiralis Y, Sideris A, Sakellariou K, Karanasios S, Giakas G. Physiotherapist perceptions of optimal sitting and standing posture. Musculoskelet Sci Pract. 2019 Feb;39:24-31. doi: 10.1016/j.msksp.2018.11.004. Epub 2018 Nov 17. PMID: 30469124.
O’Sullivan K, O’Sullivan P, O’Sullivan L, Dankaerts W. What do physiotherapists consider to be the best sitting spinal posture? Man Ther. 2012 Oct;17(5):432-7. doi: 10.1016/j.math.2012.04.007. Epub 2012 May 17. PMID: 22608170.
