In terms of general health? Specifically for people who are otherwise healthy and fit with no injuries or chronic conditions.
For instance, me. I almost never sit up or stand up straight, with my back in the so called “neutral spine position”. I always slouch, crumple, lean, shift to one foot, etc. Yet I maintain a healthy weight and diet, I get plenty of cardio and strength exercise. I am very flexible. In other words I’m generally healthy. I don’t suffer any pain in my various positions of rest. And I have no problem sitting or standing up straight with “perfect posture” if I need to do so. Am I unwittigly ruining my health by lounging around in my chair at work?
I’m having trouble finding any reputable soucres online discussing the health effects of posture on healthy adults. It is all chiropracters, yoga instructors, and new age hucksters.
It may not matter now. It’s likely to matter a great deal as you get older. The main cause of back pain is weak abdominal and back muscles, and when back and abs are weak, you slouch as a matter of course. People with equal and strong “core” muscles just don’t slouch - they’re at rest in the upright neutral position.
The thing is that both my abs and my back are quite strong. I don’t really want to get into an interent pissing match and start talking specifics in terms of what I can deadlift and how many bicycle crunches I can do in a minute. But I’ve been a serious weight lifter for years, and I know for a fact that I’m far stronger than most men my age. In fact I’d say I’m as physically fit as a non athlete can be. Your quote is exactly what I’m trying to avoid. Your claim that fit people sit up and stand up straight all the time is just silly.
I’m not claiming that posture doesn’t matter, but where is the science.
I’m not going to go look up my massage therapy and nursing texts for page numbers, no. But it was covered in both, so I don’t think this is particularly “woo” anymore.
Is it inevitable that you’ll have back pain because you slouch? No, I guess not. But I’ve never seen a client with back pain who didn’t slouch. Correlation, not causation.
But if you want some cites that strengthening exercise is recommended to treat back pain, start here:
That’s also exactly what my physician and physical therapist told me when I hurt my lower back. In fact, the only thing we did in physical therapy was to strengthen my lower back and abdominal muscles each session, to avoid future back pain.
I read, at least a decade ago, that the straight-vertical “neutral position” is bunk. The best way to sit, says this article, is with the shoulders on the chair, pelvis slightly forward of that (i.e. leaning back), feet flat on the floor with one slightly ahead of the other. That somehow balances the weight most efficiently.
I say sit however you feel most comfortable. I find it hard to believe that any research can trump what your body is telling you. When a scientist tells me “this is the best way to sit” and my brain says “this is more comfortable”, I’m siding with good ol’ brainy mcbrain.
As for back strengthing helping back pain, that is a completely different question from what I am asking. I think it is well understood that a strong back will help with back pain. I am asking about posture. So far only jjimm has addressed my question with any specific cites.
