I was experiencing some neck pain, and went online in search of some at-home remedies. Of the remedies, posture was one of them which got me thinking: “Does posture really matter that much?”.
So will fixing my posture help with my neck pain and grant me numerous other benefits i see on these blogs?
I don’t have the time to Google atm but there’s a growing body of experts shifting to the “it doesn’t actually matter”. Here’s a podcast about it but there are definitely more sources to find: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/lifematters/the-myth-of-good-posture/13864470
I saw another comment in the thread about ensuring you get movement in – that’s what my PT hammered into me.
Yes. And also, you should be doing stretching exercises.
So to correct one thing:
Poor posture is a symptom of poor core strength, particularly, your deltoids and lower back. If your muscles are both stronger and more flexible, they will literally pull your bones into the correct alignment, without any conscious thought towards sitting straighter.
Start by taking a short walk once a day. A 100 day pushup challenge or starting Yoga would be a great next step. Longer term, maybe light weights and rows alongside using a treadmill or stationary bike.
If you choose to look into weight training, “Starting strength” is a decent program by Mark Rippetoe that I would recommend.
Very interesting. I’ll look into these. Thanks!
Hi. Your post is interesting in general but when you say 100 pushups a day… is it really a challenge for a normal or even a fit person or is it just some random thing you found while browsing?
Most people would have trouble doing 100 pushups at once. But this sounds more like doing push ups everyday for 100 days.
On day one, do one push up. Day two, two. Sounds a bit ridiculous, but it gradually builds difficulty.
Crucially, it is not all in one sitting. On day 10, if needed, do five when you wake up, and five before bed.
Break it up into something achievable. And if you miss a day, don’t sweat it. Again, the idea is to start to build, or rebuild strength and flexibility, the exercises themselves barely matter; you could do planks instead, for example.
Wow. Super hard. I may try it but I don’t think I can do more than 20 or 25, even spreading them in 5 repetitions.
I had severe headaches for years before a doctor that I trusted talked me into getting help from a local chiropractor with a good reputation. I’ve since learned a lot and would recommend a massage therapist or PT over a random chiropractor. Even then was skeptical. But this chiropractor was able to demonstrate exactly where in my neck the pain behind my eyes was coming from, provide me with some immediate relief, and help me with a path to long-term recovery. Biggest takeaway: posture is critical. Good posture is uncomfortable and tiring at first. You’ll get better at it and your muscles will adapt. It’s well worth the sacrifice. Wish I’d learned twenty years ago but better late than never.
Posture is so important for health, both as a practice and an indicator.
As a practice, stacking your body up in a good position lets it work better and protects your joints.
It is also an indication of strong enough muscles and bones, very weak people or those with osteoporosis often can’t achieve good posture.
It’s also free, nothing to buy, a free intervention that can only benefit you, so why not practice it?
Yes, or back pain will become a thing.
No, back pain is a woke hoax
Phew! Guess i was worried for nothing. Fuck the left!
As a 42 year old with regular recurring back issues, YES. Correct it while you’re young. It’s often too late when the issues begin to manifest.
My hot take is that short-term posture doesn’t matter all that much. If you have bad posture but you get up every 20 minutes and stretch/do chores/exercise for 5-10 minutes, you probably erase the original issues.
My one-two punch, if you’re looking for advice: make sure you use a chair that makes good posture easy, with your keyboard+mouse & monitor height well separated on your desk (if computing’s the main thing you’re doing as you work). And then make sure you’re getting a lot of activity throughout the day. Spans of 2, 3, 4, etc. hours just sitting at your desk will be really bad for you, no matter how good your posture is.
I guess what I’m saying is if you can either focus a lot on posture or focus a lot on physical activity routines, prioritize the latter. But both are certainly important.
I spend most of my day staring at a computer, and i have an atrocious posture while doing it. Do back cracks count as stretching?
I spend too much time at my pc or driving so get lower back pain. I recently found this workout that’s really good. It’s challenging but really works well! I sometimes have to ease back a little, especially on the last part, but it still helps.
Apologies, I can’t remember how/where to get alternative YT links.
No they don’t.
You’re better off taking a few minutes to really relax your muscles in your neck and back. Start by breathing in as deep as you can into your belly, then in the same breath, switch to your lungs, and breathe in as deeply as you possibly can until it hurts, and then exhale. Do that for a minute and then when you think you can’t possibly breathe in any deeper, breathe in deeper still.
If you do this for a few minutes and feel crazy muscle spasms in your neck and back, you need to start taking a lot more deep, relaxing breaths.
Only in that direction.
chronic pain is not as much fun as they ought you to believe - turns out it’s not that easy to amputate some section of your back
Yes but not necessarily in the way you think. “Bad” posture is usually linked to weak muscles and lack of mobility/flexibility. If you strengthen/stretch your muscles and connective tissues, eventually it should help correct your posture.
Yes. Good posture promotes a healthy spine. If you’re putting pressure on your spine discs in weird ways 24/7 for years, you are more likely to have herniated discs and other muscularskeletal issues when you are older.
It might not fix the neck pain depending on why you’re experiencing the pain. You should definitely give a shit about your posture though. Your spine and is responsible for keeping your whole upper body upright (along with your abdominal muscles and some others). Neglecting and mistreating that is not a good idea long term.
I guess i can see the logic. I think at this point, bad posture just feels like a natural and normal thing since 90% of people also have it.
That’s why you see jokes about old people and their backs or memes that are like “Welcome to your 30s. Here’s some advil for your pain. Have a nice day.”
I had surgery for tech neck, so yeah. Chin up people!
Yes. I’ve always had a bit of a slouch. Looking like a bum is one thing, but when my back started aching as I turned 40, I figured something had to change.
Now, when I walk down the street, I pretend my nipples are laser guns, and I pretend to shoot people in the head. It’s surprisingly effective.
