As physiotherapists, we often hear the question:

Does my posture cause my back, neck, or shoulder pain? The short answer is: yes and no. Modern research shows that posture is not as black-and-white as we once thought. You don’t need to feel guilty about having “bad” posture — but prolonged, static positions can play a role.In this blog, we’ll explain what the science really says.

What Does the Research Say for years, we believed there was one “correct” posture — upright, shoulders back, straight spine. But recent studies show: There is no single perfect posture that works for everyone. Pain is not directly caused by posture, but by how you move, how long you stay in one position, and your overall habits. Many people with so-called “bad” posture have no pain, while others with “good” posture do experience pain.

Key Studies:Brink et al. (2022) found that the link between posture and low back pain is very weak Caneiro et al. (2019) emphasize that it’s more important how you move and manage pain than how you sit or stand O’Sullivan et al. (2012) argue that we should focus less on correcting posture and more on moving confidently and freely.

What Does This Mean for You? Instead of chasing the perfect posture, we recommend:

✅ Movement is key – change your position regularly, especially if you sit a lot.

✅ Listen to your body – posture only becomes a problem when it’s held for too long.

✅ Stay active – it’s better to move than to freeze in the “perfect” pose.

✅ Manage stress – how you feel emotionally can influence how you perceive your body.

But I do feel pain when I sit "wrong"...That’s real — your pain experience is valid. But the cause is usually multifactorial, involving: Prolonged mechanical loading muscle fatigue stress, fatigue, or anxiety lack of movement variety that’s why, as physiotherapists, we look beyond posture. We assess your movement habits, work environment, stress levels, and more.

How We Can Help At Plexus, we help you: Understand your body adapt your posture and movement to fit your lifestyle, learn to move with freedom and confidence, instead of stiffness or fear we use the latest evidence to help you recover and stay active — without obsessing over posture.