Do you need to fix your posture?
I’m not just talking about your posture specifically, but people in general.
Do people experiencing pain need to fix their posture?
What if they don’t have pain?
To save you time, my answer to these questions is probably not.
I want to be very upfront with you. This blog is not going to teach you the best posture exercises or promise a quick fix for any of your ailments. If anything, this blog might frustrate some individuals because I’m going to question many popular beliefs about posture.
I previously made a video titled, “Stop Trying To Fix Anterior Pelvic Tilt.” Expectedly, it wasn’t a fan favorite. In fact, it’s our least liked video by far. One person commented, “Wow! I can’t believe this video. It is like you are working for the man.”
Trust me, it would be much easier for me to make a video titled, “The 5 Best Exercises For Fixing Your Posture.” It would be better for views, likes, revenue, and praise. But I think this information is far more important.
Research vs Personal Experience
Throughout this blog, I am going to reference some of the previous comments to facilitate discussion. For example, a person wrote – “Anterior pelvic tilt comes with tons of negative downsides that are well documented by decades of research.”
In actuality, the majority of high-quality research (examples below) demonstrates that posture isn’t correlated with pain, function, and prognosis, or long-term outcomes. However, I’ve learned that some people might not care about the research if it doesn’t match their personal beliefs or experiences.
I think part of the problem can be attributed to a breakdown in communication. Believe it or not, people don’t agree on what is “good” or “bad” posture.
Oftentimes, individuals are speaking different languages without even realizing it.
For instance, here’s another comment from the prior video: “No world class athlete has anterior pelvic tilt for a reason.”
I could try to refute this comment by showing images of Simone Biles, Usain Bolt, and Jon Jones, but it might not have the intended effect if our definition or understanding of anterior pelvic tilt differ. The same could be said for a forward head posture (Michael Phelps) or any other common example.
One criticism of these pictures might be that they’re just cherry-picked snapshots of these athletes. I don’t necessarily disagree because…
Posture Isn’t Static
As one study concluded – “…results of short-term examinations differ considerably from the average values during real-life.” A single snapshot cannot predict how someone moves, functions, or feels.
This is one of the reasons I don’t put much stock in the before and after photos you see online. They tell me nothing about a person’s symptoms, capabilities, or quality of life. Plus, the “before” postures are often exaggerated and the “after” pictures are typically a conditioned response.
The subject learns to stand up tall, pull their shoulders back, suck their stomach in, and squeeze their glutes when having their posture carefully scrutinized by a clinician or trainer. Or they’re explicitly told to do these things.
Even examining yourself in the mirror isn’t completely unbiased. We’re often our own harshest critics, especially when we compare ourselves to the unrealistic standards found on social media. Most strangers don’t notice the same imperfections we find in ourselves.
Unfortunately, many industries prey on the insecurities we have about our appearance to make money, including the health and fitness industries. Problems that don’t exist are created to sell a solution that we don’t actually need.
Well-intentioned clinicians make mistakes, too. A study by Plummer et al in 2017 found that unblinded clinicians are more likely to label individuals with shoulder pain as having scapular dyskinesis compared to blinded clinicians. Essentially, we strive to find faults that prove our preconceived notions.
Variability In Posture Is Normal
…between individuals and within individuals, but for some reason there is this expectation that there’s a one-size-fits-all posture.
Posture is often described as a rigid concept with no consideration for mood, situation, or context. The reality is that there is no single, perfect posture for all circumstances, which is why I think it’s better to adopt a mindset of variability and adaptability.
If you sit for 12 hours straight and experience low back pain, that’s not an issue with your posture. You probably just don’t want to be in that position all day. Similarly, if you stood for 12 hours straight and your feet got sore, it’s expected that you’d want to sit down from time to time.
If you’re renovating your house, painting all of the walls and ceilings, and develop neck pain from looking up all weekend, that’s not a posture problem. It’s simply a repetitive or sustained movement that you’re not accustomed to and therefore unable to tolerate in high volumes.
If you suddenly take up a new gym routine that only involves the rowing machine 6 days per week and your low back becomes unreasonably sore, you’d probably consider introducing a more balanced program instead of blaming your posture.
My point is that variability and adaptability are beneficial as they relate to different positions, movements, and activities, so it’s unclear why such a rigid definition and expectation are applied when it comes to posture.
Does That Mean Posture Never Matters?
No, but posture’s role in rehab is trivial compared to the amount of attention it gets and how frequently it’s blamed.
Despite popular belief, static posture does not predict:
- Muscle tightness or flexibility (example, example)
- Muscle strength or weakness (example, example, example, example)
- Or who is experiencing pain, as postures are similar between symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals (example, example)
You might be thinking – “Just wait 20 years. That bad posture is going to catch up with those people.”
Well, thankfully, we have research following individuals over 20 years showing that isn’t the case.
We also have 5 year data demonstrating that “Females in late adolescence who sat in slumped thorax/forward head or intermediate posture rather than upright sitting posture had a lower risk of persistent neck pain as a young adult.”
Now, I’m not arguing that you need to walk around looking like the worms from Men In Black. I’m just trying to say that this topic is much more nuanced than typically believed.
Many individuals will throw around the idea that “excessive” postures are the true problem. “Excessive” anterior pelvic tilt or “excessive” forward head posture. However, this suffers from the same communication barriers I mentioned earlier. What is meant by “excessive”? How is it measured? In what contexts does it matter? If I asked 20 people these questions, I assure you I’d get vastly different answers.
In most cases…
Preparation Is More Important Than Posture
I have feet flatter than flapjacks and an anterior pelvic tilt that would send shivers down the spines of posturologists everywhere, but neither are problematic because I’ve adequately prepared myself for the demands of my daily and recreational activities. I can walk 20,000 steps or hike long distances with a weighted backpack or play sports on a whim without issue.
And no, I don’t think that changing these aspects of my body would suddenly make me superhuman.
Pain is complex and multifactorial, so it can be helpful to zoom out on life before quickly embracing a narrow approach.
- Do you exercise regularly?
- Do you set aside time for daily walks?
- Do you move around throughout the day to facilitate movement variability?
- Are you addressing aggravating activities?
- How’s your overall health as it relates to sleep, stress, nutrition, and social interaction?
This all applies to general fitness and performance as well.
Honestly, when you consider all of these factors and more, the overemphasis on static posture seems a bit boring, unimaginative, and lazy.
What About Posture Exercises?
Although you might assume I strongly oppose them, I don’t. If exercises like wall slides, prone swimmers, side bends, thoracic rotation, and glute bridges are regarded as posture exercises, I guess I do posture exercises. However, I don’t perform these movements with the goal of “fixing” my posture. I include them for the sake of having a little more variety in my routine.
You wouldn’t go to the gym and only do chest and biceps exercises.
Okay, some guys might.
But you can feel good performing a well-rounded routine without overthinking it or overcomplicating it.
How would you feel if your posture improved, but your symptoms didn’t?
What if your symptoms improved, but your posture didn’t?
What if your posture improved, but your symptoms got worse?
Which of these scenarios would be acceptable to you?
One final comment from the previous video – “I will say stretching my hip flexors and doing glute bridges helped my back pain.”
I don’t question this person’s experience at all. Many people report an improvement in their symptoms when they incorporate these types of exercises. The question is whether or not it was a change in their posture that was the primary driver of this improvement. Could there be an alternative explanation?
Was it the fact that they started exercising more or moving more throughout the day? Did it have anything to do with reducing their sedentary time? What if improving other aspects of their health and lifestyle simultaneously as part of their commitment to getting out of pain had the biggest impact?
“Fixing” posture is almost always framed as a net positive, but there are potential downsides, such as becoming overly self-conscious or hypervigilant, ruminating, catastrophizing, or developing negative expectations and fear avoidance beliefs. Constantly worrying about posture might be more detrimental than the posture itself.
To finish what we started…
Do you need to fix your posture? My answer remains the same – probably not.
Only you get to make the final decision about changes you make to your body and health, but I encourage you to at least consider some of what I discussed in this blog.
Do you want a structured plan that’s going to provide you with the knowledge and tools to feel more confident, capable, and resilient than ever before?
Check out our coaching and consultation services!
Want to learn more? Check out some of our other similar blogs:
Core Stability, Anterior Pelvic Tilt, Flat Feet
Thanks for reading. Check out the video and please leave any questions or comments below.
