Would you rather sit with a good posture or comfortably?

It’s easy to spot people who suffer from back pain in the office because they have the best postures!!

Think about it:
Would someone who doesn’t regularly suffer from back pain sit upright with their knees and hips flexed to 90 degrees, shoulders back and head perfectly aligned above their pelvis? Or would they slouch and cross their legs without giving their posture a second thought?
Or, would someone who is fearful of aggravating their pain be much more likely to sit with that ‘perfect’ posture?
People only worry about their posture when they have pain. When people don’t have pain their posture is rarely something they are concerned about.

Here’s an experiment you can try:

Do a Google image search for ‘person sitting comfortably’ and then do a Google image search for ‘person sitting with good posture.’ Now ask yourself which bunch of images would you prefer to represent how you sit on a habitual basis.

If you’ve ever seen me for an Osteopathy treatment you will know that I see the question of posture and musculoskeletal health very differently to most other osteopaths and physiotherapists. If you move well and are fit and strong you should be able to sit comfortably without worrying about your posture. I believe that a good aim of osteopathic treatment is that the person should be able to sit comfortably in an observably comfortable position rather than sentencing them to a life of bolt-upright sitting and standing.

Images by Freepik