{"id":342385,"date":"2026-03-22T15:25:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-22T15:25:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/342385\/"},"modified":"2026-03-22T15:25:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T15:25:11","slug":"the-great-posture-myth-and-why-slouching-might-not-be-as-bad-as-you-think","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/342385\/","title":{"rendered":"The great posture myth \u2013 and why slouching might not be as bad as you think"},"content":{"rendered":"

The mere mention of posture<\/a> sends shivers down the spine of many desk workers<\/a>, shocking them into rolling their shoulders back and pushing their chest forward. But slouching<\/a> at your computer isn\u2019t an inherently bad thing. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no link between posture and pain,\u201d Alex Morrell, founder of Move Physiotherapy<\/a>, tells me. \u201cMost people assume back problems and back pain are linked to poor posture, and slouching in particular, but there is zero scientific research to support that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead, he says, \u201cthe best posture is the next posture\u201d. The body is built to move, so changing positions semi-regularly is the ticket to a robust, limber spine \u2013 among other joints and muscles. But this message is often lost. <\/p>\n

The spine has come to be seen as a feeble thing in recent years. Consequently, it is often wrapped in cotton wool and kept in a neutral position. However, Morrell says it is far less fragile than many would have you believe, and this viewpoint does more harm than good in the long run. <\/p>\n

This is because, with nothing to stay strong for, the underused tissues in and around the spine weaken over time, leaving them more susceptible to injury. <\/p>\n

Below, Morrell explains why \u201chead up, shoulders back\u201d misses the mark as a gold standard for posture. And what you should do instead. <\/p>\n

The posture paradox<\/p>\n

If someone wants to improve their posture, there is some value to walking \u2013 and sitting \u2013 tall. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe problem is when that \u2018shoulders back, nice proud chest\u2019 posture is your only posture, what usually happens is people go into spinal extension [where the spine bends backwards],\u201d says Morrell,<\/p>\n

Maintaining this posture for long periods will make someone incredibly capable in this position. But they will be weaker when they have to move their spine in other ways, such as bending and twisting. This is the value of regularly moving your spine in varied ways \u2013\u00a0practising for the rigours of daily life. <\/p>\n

There are other benefits to maintaining an upright posture, Morrell adds. <\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of human behaviour can also be driven by posture. You can make a subconscious interpretation of someone\u2019s mood based on what their posture looks like, so I think that\u2019s why people attach quite a lot of importance to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

As such, striding into a business meeting with a confident posture is to be advised. You just don\u2019t have to maintain this 24\/7, as some might suggest. <\/p>\n

Read more: The exercise more important than walking \u2013 especially if you\u2019re older<\/a><\/p>\n

\"PosturePosture can convey mood and confidence, but physiotherapist Alex Morrell says it is not as important as people believe for preventing back pain (Getty\/iStock)<\/p>\n

Profit from posture<\/p>\n

Beware the products that market posture as a \u201cproblem\u201d \u2013 then try to sell you the solution. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat can include both providing therapy in whatever modality, and also selling devices that claim to be able to improve your posture,\u201d he says. \u201cThere are a lot of these nowadays \u2013 things to hook around your shoulders and pull your shoulders back. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut as a human being, your body is one of the most adaptable structures on the planet and you want to have movement options available to be able to do all of the key things that your spine needs to do; flex, extend, side bend, rotate and any combination of these movements.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only way to do that is by gradually exposing yourself to these varied movements and earning the right to do them safely and effectively.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more: Three exercises to combat a stiff spine from sitting at a desk all day<\/a><\/p>\n

\"BackBack pain is one of the most common injuries in the world \u2013 devices claiming to fix your posture are not the solution (Getty\/iStock)<\/p>\n

The solution? Stop posturing, start moving <\/p>\n

\u201cThe aim is to slowly introduce varied movements into your life,\u201d Morrell advises. <\/p>\n

\u201cPeople catastrophise very quickly: \u2018When I sit in this position, I feel stiff and sore\u2019. But almost anyone would feel stiff and sore if they sat in the same position for three hours. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe problem isn\u2019t sitting in that position \u2013 the problem is sitting in that position without moving for hours and not moving your body regularly enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

The most common spot where people spend long spells in the same position is at their desk. Regular movement is the most obvious solution, and the best way to introduce this is finding a method that slips seamlessly into your existing routine. This can take many forms, including setting an alarm to remind you to move.<\/p>\n

Instead, Morell suggests a far simpler solution: \u201cIf you feel stiff, change your position.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you are slouching, sit more upright for a bit; if you\u2019re sitting upright, you might slouch a bit more,\u201d he continues. \u201cIf you\u2019ve got a standing desk and feel stiff and sore while sitting down, stand up. Or stretch your legs \u2013 go to the loo or make a coffee.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just about doing really simple things in a simple way, rather than catastrophising and exaggerating the impact of being at a desk.\u201d <\/p>\n

Read more: I specialise in coaching people aged 40-plus \u2013 do these six things for immediate results<\/a><\/p>\n

\"SteppingStepping away from your desk for a short period, even if it is just to go to the toilet or make a coffee, is a useful way to add more movement into your day and combat tightness in your joints and muscles (Getty\/iStock)<\/p>\n

Be an aeroplane, not a helicopter<\/p>\n

Aim to gently and gradually introduce new and consistent movements \u2013 progressing them over time to increase the range of motion you are accessing and, in some cases, the load you are supporting. <\/p>\n

As sports therapist Jordan Sahota put it: \u201cWe want to take off like an aeroplane, not a helicopter.\u201d This means progressing incrementally, rather than shooting straight for the sky. The body can adapt to far more than most of us give it credit for, but it has to be given time to do so, as human movement specialist and The Training Stimulus<\/a> founder Ash Grossmann explains. <\/p>\n

\u201cTissue tolerance is the amount of stress, force or load that a particular tissue or body part can handle,\u201d he says. \u201cIf you\u2019ve damaged part of your body, then on some level, a tissue has been exposed to more stress or load than it can manage. To be as resilient as possible, we want our tissue tolerance to exceed the demands that we place on our body.<\/p>\n

\u201c…If you have an idea of the type of stresses that you will face, you can progressively overload those stresses at a rate you can adapt to, so the body is gradually laying down stronger, more robust tissue. Then, when those forces are imposed on it in future, it can handle them.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you just want to prepare for your daily mobility needs, bodyweight movements that work your spine through all planes of motion \u2013 flexing, extending, bending and twisting \u2013\u00a0will likely suffice. <\/p>\n

If you know you will face greater demands, such as those experienced in sport and exercise, or more intense tasks like picking up children and carrying heavy shopping, strength training<\/a> is a good way to build a more robust body in a controlled environment, with clear and tangible progressions.<\/p>\n

Read more: Four things you can do to reduce inflammation and cut heart disease risk, according to the experts<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The mere mention of posture sends shivers down the spine of many desk workers, shocking them into rolling…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":342386,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[565,134,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-342385","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/342385","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=342385"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/342385\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/342386"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=342385"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=342385"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=342385"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}