Is good posture really a guarantee of a healthy back?

What is good posture and does it affect your back health?

The signs of good posture are accepted by A. Smythe, M. Jivanjee. The straight and narrow of posture: Current clinical concepts / Australian Journal of General Practice counts a flat back with slight physiological curves in the thoracic region (kyphosis) and lower back (lordosis), straightened shoulders, and a straight neck position.

At the same time, back in 1967, Professor John Keeve wrote to JP Keeve. Fitness, posture and other selected school health myths / The Journal of school health that science does not support the benefits of an aesthetic ideal of posture for back health. More than 50 years have passed, and there is still no reliable evidence of this.

In research 1. C. Tüzün, I. Yorulmaz, A. Cindaş. Low back pain and posture / Clinical rheumatology 2. D. Grob, H. Frauenfelder, AF Mannion. The association between cervical spine curvature and neck pain / European spine journal 3. T. Widhe. Spine: posture, mobility and pain. A longitudinal study from childhood to adolescence / European Spine Journal volume4. KV Richards, DJ Beales, AJ Smith. Neck Posture Clusters and Their Association With Biopsychosocial Factors and Neck Pain in Australian Adolescents / Physical therapy in adults, children and adolescents found no connection between spinal curves and health. The same conclusion was reached by checking L. Tsai, T. Wredmark. Spinal Posture, Sagittal Mobility, and Subjective Rating of Back Problems in Former Female Elite Gymnasts / Spine of former elite gymnasts.

In two reviews 1. CTV Swain, F. Pan, PJ Owen. No consensus on causality of spine postures or physical exposure and low back pain: A systematic review of systematic reviews / Journal of biomechanics 2. L. Manchikanti, V. Singh, FJE Falco. Epidemiology of low back pain in adults / Neuromodulation of scientific papers also did not see a connection between posture and back pain.

Perhaps it's not the position of the bones and joints itself, but how they move. Scientists suggest that back problems may arise due to improper H. Cramer, WE Mehling, FJ Saha. Postural awareness and its relation to pain: validation of an innovative instrument measuring awareness of body posture in patients with chronic pain / BMC Musculoskelet Disorders 2. C. Koch, F. Hänsel. Non-specific Low Back Pain and Postural Control During Quiet Standing — A Systematic Review / Frontiers in Psychology of activation of the core and pelvic muscles. For example, in patients with low back pain, hip flexion is difficult due to excessive activity in the glutes and muscles that straighten the spine.

What is important for spine health

Vertebrologist and rehabilitologist Anatoly Shishonin believes that good posture is, first of all, the absence of muscle clamps, and not at all the aesthetic ideal of military bearing.

Good posture can be considered the one that maintains a normal body position, in which certain parts of the musculoskeletal system are not overloaded.

The doctor says that prolonged tension of the muscles around the spine can disrupt blood circulation and impede venous and lymphatic drainage from the soft tissues of the back.

This, in turn, contributes to the development of degenerative changes. As a result, even minor loads can result in protrusion and hernia in the segment of the spine with reduced blood circulation.

A perfectly straight back, which can often be seen in pictures, does not necessarily guarantee health.

Thus, the visual aspect of posture matters much less than the functionality of the musculoskeletal system. But how to understand whether you need to correct something is another question.

How to know if posture is worth working

Anatoly Shishonin says that muscle clamps and blocks in the joints can appear at any age, starting from infancy. They are able to manifest themselves both immediately and after a fairly long period. For example, after exhausting physical or psychological stress.

If you suspect posture problems, start by looking at your overall health.

Weakness, fatigue, heaviness and bad mood after waking up, these are the first symptoms that somewhere in the body there are foci with reduced blood circulation. If you are experiencing something like this with no obvious psychological cause or illness, you should check for muscle clamps and blockages in your joints. Over time, these problems can lead to hernia, protrusion, neuralgia, sciatica, and even ischemic stroke.

Research A. Searle, M. Spink, A. Ho. Exercise interventions for the treatment of chronic low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials / Clinical rehabilitation show that exercises for the development of muscle strength and coordination of movements give good results in the treatment of chronic back pain.

However, if you have problems, it is best to choose individual sessions with an exercise therapy doctor, and not perform any exercises that seem to help.

The rehabilitation therapist advises regular, individually tailored exercises, massage and self-massage aimed at relieving muscle tension. This approach will increase your chances of successful posture correction and reduce the risk of flare-ups from improperly chosen movements.