Sit up straight! Stop slouching! It’s a familiar order barked at us since school days — and it remains the golden rule of how to sit. Whether it’s balancing a book on your head, or imagining a piece of string pulling your shoulders towards the ceiling, we’ve all tried methods to practice “good” posture.

Health officials have long warned that slumping, whether at a computer or in front of the television, is a surefire route to crippling back and neck pain — or worse.

Our dedication to a perfect seated position has fueled an entire industry, geared to getting us to sit up straight. We spend billions of dollars each year on posture correcting chairs, apps and clothing — but emerging evidence suggests that slouching may not be that evil after all.

In fact, with research indicating that slumping may help to keep our spines in shape, experts are beginning to advise against sitting up straight.

It has been thought that sitting slumped, with the shoulders hunched and back arched, can put excess strain on the vertebrae in the spine.

This is because as the upper body leans forward, the weight of the brain and head increases, forcing the spine to carry a heavier load. But a slew of studies suggests this is unlikely to cause the cascade of back troubles previously predicted. In fact, sitting slumped can keep the spine intact and even ease joint and muscle pain.

In one 2018 paper, slump-sitting postures were seen to help to increase the amount of fluid in between spinal discs, reducing stiffness. The posture was also seen to increase spinal height over time.

Physiotherapists at the University Hospital of North Tees in Stockton-on-Tees who carried out the investigation concluded that some slouching can “provide a valuable alternative to upright sitting” in patients with lower-back pain.

In addition, Australian studies have found that when interspersed with periods of sitting upright, slouching can relax strained muscles in the core and legs.

London-based osteopath Gavin Smith explains, “While sitting straight activates muscles in the abdomen, pelvis and back, slump-sitting relaxes them.

“Because these muscles are chronically over-active in people with lower-back pain, some periodic relaxation of them is helpful.

“Alternating between comfortable and relaxed upright and slumped postures is probably the best way to sit at your desk.”

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【可靠的】kěkào de surefire bound to be successful or perform as expected

【正骨医生】zhènggǔ yīshēng osteopath a person who is trained to treat injuries to bones and muscles using pressure and movement

坐直了！别没精打采的！这是自学生时代我们就很熟悉的命令，而且一直是正确坐姿的标准法则。无论是把一本书放在头顶保持平衡，还是设想一根绳子把你的肩膀连接到屋顶，我们试过各种方法练习“好的”坐姿。健康部门的官员们一直提醒人们说，不管是坐在电脑还是电视机前，慵懒的坐姿肯定会造成肩背疼痛，甚至引发更糟糕的后果。

我们对完美坐姿的执着推动了整个行业的发展，这也促使我们坐得笔直。我们每年花费数十亿英镑用于购买纠正坐姿的椅子、应用程序甚至服装，但最新证据表明，懒散的坐姿也许并没有那么糟糕。

事实上，研究表明，瘫坐有助于保持脊柱的形状，专家们开始建议大家不要坐那么笔直。人们认为弯腰弓背地坐着 —— 耸起双肩、背部呈弓形 —— 会给脊椎带来过度压力。

这是因为，随着上半身前倾，大脑和头部产生的压力增加，迫使脊椎承受更重的负荷。

但现在有大量研究表明，这种姿势不太可能像先前预测的那样引发一连串后患。事实上，弯腰弓背地坐着可以让脊椎不受损伤，甚至缓解关节和肌肉的疼痛。

在2018年的一篇论文中，研究人员认为弯腰弓背的坐姿有助于增加椎间盘之间的润滑液，缓解僵硬症状。随着时间的推移，这种姿势还能增加脊柱的高度。

开展这项研究的英国斯托克顿市北蒂斯大学医院的理疗师得出结论称，对下腰痛患者来说，有时慵懒的坐姿“是一种替代笔直坐姿的不错选择”。此外，澳大利亚的研究还显示，在笔直坐姿期间穿插慵懒坐姿，可以使核心躯干和腿部的紧张肌肉放松下来。

伦敦正骨科医生加文·史密斯解释说：“坐直可以激活腹部、骨盆和背部的肌肉，慵懒坐姿则可以放松肌肉。”

“因为在下腰痛患者身上，这些肌肉长期过度活跃，定期放松一下是有帮助的。”

“在舒适、放松的直立姿势和慵懒的坐姿之间切换大概是坐在桌前的最佳方式。”

(Chinadaily.com.cn)