The Truth About Posture

Is your posture really causing your pain?

I've been around this industry long enough to hear it all:

"I have forward head posture."

"My shoulders are rounded."

"I slouch all the time."

The list goes on.

I've also heard countless solutions: "Just strengthen your rhomboids." While strength can certainly help, posture is much more complex than that.Rarely is there a single cause. More often, there are multiple contributing factors. Lifestyle plays a major role. Many of us spend hours sitting at desks, driving, looking at screens, or repeating the same movements day after day. We've also become fixated on the idea of a "perfect posture" often modeled after military personnel standing at attention or ballet dancers maintaining elegant positions.

But the reality is that there is no single correct posture.

In fact, the problem usually isn't your posture at all. It's the lack of movement.

Your body tends to dislike prolonged positions more than specific positions. Whether you're sitting tall, slouching, standing, or working at a desk, staying in one position for too long is often what leads to stiffness and discomfort.

Your best posture is your next posture.

The goal isn't perfect alignment. It's having enough mobility, strength, and body awareness to move comfortably between positions throughout the day.

One of the most effective ways to accomplish this is through what I call movement snacks.

Movement snacks are exactly what they sound like: short bouts of movement sprinkled throughout your day. They don't require a workout, special equipment, or a lot of time. Just a few minutes to give your joints and tissues some variety. One of my favourite ways to do this is with CARs (Controlled Articular Rotations).

Below you'll find three simple movement snacks for your back, shoulders, and neck that you can use throughout the day to stay moving and feeling your best.

Neck CARs (Controlled Articular Rotations)

1. Sit or stand tall with your shoulders relaxed and your chin gently tucked to create a long neck.

2. Slowly bring your chin toward your chest, then rotate your head toward one shoulder.

3. Continue the circle by looking up toward the ceiling, then rotate toward the opposite shoulder.

4. Return your chin to your chest to complete one slow, controlled circle. Reverse the direction.

5. Move slowly and pain-free, keeping the shoulders still and using the largest comfortable range without forcing the motion.

Prescription: 2–3 rotations in each direction.

Glenohumeral (Shoulder) CARs

1. Stand tall with your ribs down and core engaged. Keep the working arm straight and the opposite hand on your ribs to prevent compensations.

2. Raise your arm forward and overhead, reaching as high as possible while keeping your shoulder blade controlled.

3. Rotate your palm outward and continue moving the arm behind your body, maintaining the largest pain-free range.

4. Bring the arm down behind you until it returns to your side. Reverse the motion to complete the CAR in the opposite direction.

5. Move slowly and with control, keeping your torso still and focusing on movement coming from the shoulder joint.

Prescription: 2–3 slow rotations in each direction per shoulder.

Spine CARs (Controlled Articular Rotations)

1. Stand with feet hip-width apart and hands across your chest. Keep your hips facing forward throughout the movement.

2. Slowly flex your spine, tucking your chin and rounding one vertebra at a time from your neck to your lower back.

3. Rotate your torso toward one side while maintaining the rounded position.

4. Extend your spine by opening your chest and gently arching backward, then rotate through to the opposite side.

5. Return to the starting position and repeat in the opposite direction, moving slowly and keeping the motion smooth and controlled.

Prescription: 2–3 slow rotations in each direction.