Why does good posture still ache?

If its so good for us, why is it uncomfortable?

16/05/2023 Guest blog by Emily Rose at Gillingham Chiropractic

(Approx 1-2 minute read)

In short:

The best posture is the next posture. Our bodies are designed to keep mobile above all else.

Once upon a time, we thought that sitting up straight and standing up tall were the best ways to keep pain at bay, so why could I never practice what I preached as a chiropractor?

I needed to sit on my feet, cross my legs, lean to one side, rest on my arms, get up, move around, and move some more…

I couldn’t stay still, and if I forced myself to I would get neck pain and headaches, really bad headaches. I would be so uncomfortable that I couldn’t concentrate on my work. I thought it was something I needed to work on, something that I needed to get over because grown ups can sit up straight and concentrate! Something I had to improve if I was expecting people to take on my advice as a chiropractor!

It turns out all I had to do was listen to my body, it was right the whole time.

Research now tells us that what we used to think of as “good” posture, isn’t actually so good. Staying in any one position too long isn’t good, no matter what position it is. We’re designed to move.

Thinking about it, it makes sense really; if we were to hold ourselves in any one position all day, we’d feel sore afterwards.

So why do we expect ourselves to be able to spend 8 hours at a desk sitting up straight? (The same goes for standing desks, we’re not made to stand all day either!)

Listen to your body and don’t put too much pressure on yourself, there’s no point switching from “I must sit up straight” to a prescriptive “I must move every half hour”. Just do what feels natural.