Posture is a common concern for many people – undoubtedly reinforced by family, friends, health professionals, and social media – but is it truly the way out of back pain?

What many people tell you is the cause of back pain:

What factors may contribute to back pain:

Look at how posture is just one small piece of the labyrinthine puzzle that is back pain.

Posture can play a part, but it’s often overstated and overcomplicated. If a posture hurts too much, find a more comfortable one. In saying that, humans have great capacity to adapt so you may tolerate a painful posture better with graded exposure.

Could there be other drivers of your pain?

To better manage your pain, you don’t have to fix these hundreds of factors, but you have many options to look into.

Focus on the things you can change easier, like becoming more physically active, rather than things you can’t change as easy, like disc degeneration (one of many normal age-related changes).

As always, consult with a trusted health professional for advice specific to you.

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References:

1. Cholewicki et al. (2019) (PMID: 31092123)