How Can Poor Posture Result in Back Pain & 5 Easy Fixes for Relief
Dec 4, 2024
You’re sitting at your desk when you notice a tightness in your lower back. As you adjust your position, you realize how hunched over you’ve become while working. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time you’ve felt this discomfort, and you wonder, how can poor posture result in back pain? You're not alone if you’ve ever found yourself in a similar situation. Poor posture is a common cause of back pain that affects many people, especially those who sit for prolonged periods, such as office workers, gamers, and students. If you can relate, keep reading to understand how poor posture causes back pain and learn simple, actionable posture exercises to feel relief and improve your posture long-term.
One valuable tool to help you on your journey is Posture AI’s posture correction app. Not only can it help you understand how poor posture causes back pain, but it will also teach you actionable fixes tailored to your specific needs, so you can return to feeling like yourself again.
Table of Contents
What Is the Definition of Poor Posture?
Poor posture describes the body's misalignment that deviates from a natural, neutral position. When the body is at rest, it should maintain its optimal balance and alignment so that no muscles, joints, or connective tissues are stressed. Poor posture occurs when the body is in a position that is not conducive to this balance, causing the body to compensate for the unnatural position.
For example, slouching, or sitting, standing, or walking with a rounded back can cause stress on the spine and surrounding tissues. Over time, this can lead to painful conditions, such as low back pain.
What Are the Different Types of Poor Posture?
Poor posture can manifest in different ways, including:
Slouching
Rounding of the shoulders
Forward head position
Exaggerated arch or hunch in the back
Common examples of poor posture include:
Slouching
This occurs when the shoulders droop forward and the upper back is rounded, leading to a curved or hunched appearance.
Forward head posture
It involves protruding the head forward, misaligning it with the shoulders and upper back. This is often seen in individuals who spend long hours looking at screens or hunching over desks.
Rounded shoulders
This occurs when the shoulders roll forward, causing the upper back to curve and the chest to appear sunken.
Excessive arch in the lower back
Also known as anterior pelvic tilt, this posture involves a pronounced inward curve in the lower back, which can cause the abdomen to protrude and the buttocks to stick out.
Why Does Poor Posture Cause Low Back Pain?
Poor posture can negatively affect white-collar workers' spinal posture and flexibility, and chronic poor posture may be linked to chronic nonspecific low back pain.
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How Can Poor Posture Result in Back Pain?
1. The Dangers of Sitting for Extended Periods of Time
Excessive sitting can wreak havoc on your posture. When you sit for long periods, your back muscles and abdominal muscles are no longer engaged to support your spine. Instead, your spine relies on the support of your office chair. If there is poor lumbar support, your lower back loses its normal curve (lumbar lordosis). Your upper body then exerts pressure on the intervertebral discs of your lower back while in this compromised position.
The Impact of Prolonged Sitting on Muscle Imbalance, Disc Health, and Circulation
Why it causes pain: Prolonged sitting weakens and overstretches the intrinsic and extrinsic muscles, leading to muscle fatigue, stiffness, and pain. Sitting also shortens the hip flexors, particularly the psoas muscles. A tight psoas muscle is a known risk factor for lower back pain.
The weight of the upper body on the intervertebral discs of the lower back, while they are unsupporte,d causes an uneven distribution of weight, leaving you at risk of disc bulging. Lastly, sitting can interfere with circulation to the lower body, decreasing oxygen delivery to the muscle and nerve cells in your back.
2. Slouching While Seated
Most of us don’t sit properly and tend to slouch when seated, which puts an already unsupported lower back in an even more harmful position. A 2004 study published in Clinical Biomechanics found that slouching results in a backward rotation of the sacrum concerning the ilium, resulting in a posterior pelvic tilt.
How Slouching Alters Spine Alignment and Strains Ligaments in the Lower Back
When you sit in this position, your arms and hands resting on a table, keyboard, or steering wheel can cause your upper body to relax even more. This exaggerated relaxing increases the weight of your upper body on your already unsupported lower back, and the natural lumbar “S” shaped curve turns into a “C” shaped curve.
Why it causes pain: Slouching posture causes pelvic backward rotation and spine flexion, which strains the iliolumbar ligaments and results in low back pain.
3. The Dangers of Leaning on One Leg
Leaning on one leg while standing, especially for lengthy periods, can be comfortable. You may not even be aware that you’re standing like this, but the issues that can result from this position are dramatic. Let’s say you’re leaning on your right leg. This position forces your right hip out, and as this hip drops, your pelvis will also start to tip to the right, leading to a cascade of events for your spine. Your spine will also start to twist to the right, your right shoulder will drop, resulting in a rotation of this area, and your neck will shift to compensate to keep your eye level horizontal.
The Impact of Poor Standing Posture on Muscle Imbalances and Pain in the Lower Back, Hips, and Shoulders
Why it causes pain: Rather than your buttocks and core muscles maintaining a neutral standing position, this position places excessive pressure on one hip, which causes your abductor to overwork and your gluteal muscles to weaken.
Over time, you may develop muscle imbalances of the pelvis, resulting in muscle strain and pain in the lower back, hip, and buttocks. This position also strains your neck and shoulder due to the compensating effects of the spine to maintain balance, resulting in neck and shoulder pain.
4. Texting on Your Cell Phone
Constantly dropping your head to look down at your cell phone leads to a forward-flexed neck position in most individuals. In fact, a 2012 study found that over 90% of participants had a forward-flexed neck while texting on their cell phones. Other changes to your posture when this happens include your shoulders either lifting upwards to your ears or rolling forward, and your neck and shoulder muscles going into spasm.
Why it causes pain: This forward neck position drops your head forward, adding an extra 30 pounds of weight on the vertebra and strain the trapezius, which can change the natural curvature of your spine. This position leads to excessive strain on the muscles of your neck and can result in wear and tear on the structures of your neck, as well as a significant amount of pain.
5. Sticking Your Buttocks Out
You might be unaware that you stand with your buttocks outwards unless someone points it out to you or you start to suffer from back pain. If you notice that you tend to stand with your buttocks outwards, or that you have a pronounced curvature in your lower back, you likely have what’s called hyperlordosis. This means that the normal curve in your lower back is exaggerated, creating what looks like a “Donald Duck” posture. Certain things, such as carrying extra weight around your stomach, pregnancy, and high heel,s can result in this posture.
The Connection Between Increased Lordosis and Low Back Pain: Muscle Weakness and Postural Imbalances
Why it causes pain: A lordotic curve proportionally increases shearing stress or strain in the anterior direction, resulting in your center of gravity shifting anteriorly. This increased lordosis is associated with an increased prevalence of low back pain. Lower back pain may not be directly attributable to increased lordosis but rather to the factors contributing to this increase, including weakness of the trunk muscles, shortness of the back muscles, and weakness of the quadriceps and hamstrings.
6. Standing With a Flat Back
If you have a flat back, chances are you’ll be aware of it, as you’ll be stooped and have difficulty standing upright. In this position, your pelvis is tucked in, resulting in a loss of the natural lumbar lordosis, which in turn results in a spine imbalance. This position can also cause issues in other areas of the body. You may lean your head and neck forward and have difficulty standing upright because your center is no longer centered over your pelvis and legs.
Flat Back Syndrome: Muscle Fatigue and Postural Imbalances Leading to Chronic Pain
Why it causes pain: In flat back, the muscles of the lower back, buttocks, and posterior thigh are recruited to tilt the pelvis to try to bring the body back into alignment. Due to the increased demands on these muscles, they commonly become fatigued, resulting in aches and pain. Hip and knee flexion during standing and walking is another way that patients with flat back compensate for the loss of normal lordosis, which can lead to a hip flexion contracture, resulting in shortening of the muscle in front of the hip. Over time, the imbalances that result from this posture, combined with the misalignment of the spine, can result in muscle fatigue and pain in the:
Neck
Upper back
Lower back
Even the legs
7. Standing with a Sway Back
If you’ve ever looked at a picture of yourself from the side and noticed that your hips are pushed forward and your upper back is swayed backward, you may have sway back posture. The body adapts to sway back posture in various ways. With this posture, your pelvis shifts in front of your normal center of gravity, leading to events for the rest of your body. Your hips will also push forward, causing them to be hyperextended, which can overstretch the quadriceps and psoas muscles.
Sway Back Posture: The Impact of Hyperextension and Misalignment on Lower Back and Spinal Health
The abnormal shift of these structures from their “normal” alignment results in hyperextension of the knees. Another typical characteristic of this type of posture is a backward movement of the upper back (thoracic spine). This spine area tends to elongate and the chest tends to sink, increasing thoracic kyphosis. Your chin will poke forward to compensate for this postural deviation.
Why it causes pain: Swaying back posture leads to a stiff, long thoracic curve and an increased lumbar lordosis. This abnormal positioning exerts more pressure on the spinal joints and intervertebral discs in your lower back, which can lead to significant pain, especially if you stand for prolonged periods of time.
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• How Long Does It Take to Fix Your Posture
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• Best Posture for Gaming
• Physical Therapy for Posture
6 Tips to Improve Posture and Back Pain
1. Embrace Movement to Combat Back Pain
Imagine sitting with what many people consider "perfect posture" — shoulders back, spine straight — for eight hours without moving. There's a good chance that by the end of the day, you'll experience some aches or stiffness in other parts of your body, like your:
Neck
Hips
Knees
Our bodies aren't designed to stay static but to move.
That's why I encourage my patients to let go of the idea that there's one "ideal" posture. Instead, think of movement as your best defense against back pain. If you're sitting for long periods at a desk, get up, stretch, or take a short walk. These movement breaks allow your muscles to relax and can prevent stiffness or tension from building up, which is important because tight muscles can lead to pain.
2. Ergonomics and Back Pain
While posture isn't the main culprit when it comes to back pain, it can be helpful for some people to make ergonomic adjustments, particularly to their work setup if they sit at a desk. Things like having your feet flat on the floor, using a chair with armrests, and positioning your computer monitor at eye level can help keep you comfortable.
3. Back Strength and Flexibility
Aside from changing positions and ergonomics, factors like back muscle strength and flexibility play a big role in back pain. Sometimes pain arises because the muscles in your back aren't strong or flexible enough to handle the activities you're doing, whether it's an increase or decrease in activity, or a change in the intensity of an activity. Strength and stretching exercises can prevent back pain by making your body more adaptable to different movements and demands.
4. Skip Correction Devices
The other thing I get asked about a lot is posture correction devices, typically worn like a harness or backpack with straps around your shoulders to encourage you to maintain an upright posture.
I typically advise against relying on them because, while they can be a good reminder to sit up straight or change positions if you start slouching or rounding forward, they don't strengthen the muscles that support your posture. In the long run, it's better to build muscle strength than rely on external aids.
5. Make Time for Movement
If your job requires you to sit at a desk each day, it can be easy to fall into bad habits like poor posture. The good news is that taking small breaks throughout your day can help you break those habits. You don't have to plan a workout or schedule a yoga class during the day to experience lasting relief from back pain caused by poor posture.
Make time for small moments of movement throughout each day. Standing up, gently stretching your muscles, and briefly walking to the break room or around the office can get your blood flowing and help you re-engage those back and core muscles.
6. Lift Heavy Objects Properly
Whether or not your job requires you to lift heavy objects often or you are an avid weightlifter, you should learn the basics of how to lift properly. When you bend to pick up an object from the floor, you want to keep your spine in a neutral position and bend from the knees. Bending from the knees helps to redistribute the weight and pressure better so that your back isn't overloaded. This also helps you to avoid straining or pulling a muscle.
Related Reading
• How to Fix Forward Head Posture
• How to Fix Posture
• How to Fix Neck Posture
• Exercises for Better Posture
Improve Your Posture with Our Posture Correction App
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Instant posture scanning
AI-powered analysis
Customized exercise programs
Progress monitoring
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