In short, no posture is “perfect” (Spoiler!). The idea that you should constantly maintain a “perfect” posture ignores that the human body craves movement and is consistently interacting with our external environments (e.g., computer). The reinforcement of optimal postures should occur, but “perfect” posture education alone is often ineffective due to poor long-term adherence. “Perfect” posture assessments typically occur via checklists you are most likely familiar with (Figure 1).

The use of the term position should be encouraged instead of posture. This is because posture is traditionally viewed as static state held for a long duration, whereas position is viewed as a temporary state that is constantly changing. Position is strongly linked to the medical term proprioception, which is your nervous system telling you WHERE your body is in space. Furthermore, proprioception implies that understanding your body’s position is a prerequisite for effective and quality movement, given you must recognize WHERE your body is in space before you can decide HOW to move. Position can be broken down by individual joints in the body, and if there is not optimal positioning in one body area, another region will compensate to make up the difference.

For example, if there isn’t appropriate shoulder positioning (no internal rotation [bringing your hand towards your belly]) while attempting to drink from a water bottle, your other body regions (elbow, hand/wrist, neck) must compensate to ensure the water gets to your mouth (Figure 3). This reinforces the interconnectedness between body regions and the idea that the “problematic” region may not be the cause (e.g., the best way to help reduce neck pain may be by changing the position of the lower back).