Research Finds Slouching Isn't Bad For Your Back
Good news for all the Wordle lovers bent over your phone
All the nuns who told me to "sit up straight" in Catholic school owe me an apology. (And a better explanation for immaculate conception cause I ain't buying that shit anymore.)
We have all heard the conventional wisdom — sitting up straight is better for your back. Well, my straight-backed darlings, research shows this isn’t true.
Using magnetic resonance imaging, a 2006 study found that sitting up straight places unnecessary strain on your back, especially when sitting.
Now, new research from Musculoskeletal Science and Practice found the same — slouching doesn't cause back pain. The study's author, Dr. O'Sullivan, contends that sitting up straight forces your spine into an unnatural position and, for some people, can cause more harm to your back.
The researchers found that women were more likely to sit ramrod straight than men. And with back pain the most common reason people see a doctor or miss work, you might want to ease up on the schoolmarm posture.
Sullivan's advice to back pain sufferers is simple. "Don't assume that the solution is always sitting up straight. Some people benefit from sitting up straight, but slightly more people…
