第2179期:Is slouching really that bad for us?

We hear family members and teachers telling us to "sit up straight" and "stand tall", but do they say that because an erect posture is more aesthetically pleasing, or is it the key to a pain-free back? It's commonly believed that 'slump' sitting or 'slouch' standing damages our spines. But, is slouching really that bad?我们听到家人和老师告诉我们“坐直”和“站直”，但他们是说因为直立的姿势更美观，还是背部不疼痛的关键？ 人们普遍认为“低头”坐姿或“无精打采”站立会损害我们的脊柱。 但是，驼背真的有那么糟糕吗？Meghan Markowski, physiotherapist at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital, says that a poor posture can lead to neck pain and back problems. She also links it to other problems like poor balance, headaches and breathing difficulties. Meghan says we should aim for an upright spine position and to avoid flexing and arching our backs. But, if you're a sloucher, there may be some good news coming from the last two decades of research…哈佛大学附属布莱根妇女医院的物理治疗师梅根·马科夫斯基表示，不良姿势会导致颈部疼痛和背部问题。 她还将其与平衡不良、头痛和呼吸困难等其他问题联系起来。 梅根说，我们应该以直立的脊柱姿势为目标，避免弯曲和拱起背部。 但是，如果你是个懒散的人，过去二十年的研究可能会带来一些好消息……In an article called "Sit Up Straight: Time to Re-evaluate", physiotherapist Diane Slater and colleagues review the current research and conclude that there is no strong evidence that slouching aggravates back pain, or even that a perfect posture exists. Instead, they argue that differences in our spinal curvatures are a fact of life, and that our backs are stronger than we think.在一篇名为《坐直：重新评估的时候》的文章中，物理治疗师黛安·斯莱特及其同事回顾了当前的研究，得出的结论是，没有强有力的证据表明弯腰会加重背痛，甚至没有完美的姿势存在。 相反，他们认为我们脊柱弯曲的差异是生活中的事实，而且我们的背部比我们想象的更强壮。So, we're not sure that slouching causes back pain, but have you ever felt like slouching puts you in a worse mood? A 2014 study by Johannes Michalak and colleagues found that depressed participants in a slumped seated position remembered more negative words than positive, but this improved once they sat upright. That means that the way we sit might make us feel more negative. Should we sit up straight and stand tall then?所以，我们不确定弯腰驼背是否会导致背痛，但您是否曾经感觉弯腰驼背会让您的心情变得更糟？ Johannes Michalak 及其同事在 2014 年进行的一项研究发现，抑郁的参与者在弯腰坐姿时记住的消极词汇多于积极词汇，但一旦他们坐直，这种情况就会有所改善。 这意味着我们的坐姿可能会让我们感到更加消极。 那我们是不是应该坐直、站直呢？Something both sides seem to agree on is that we should avoid staying in one static posture throughout the day – we should change positions and stretch. The human spine is designed to be on the move and a sedentary lifestyle can increase the risk of back pain. If you're unable to do this, slouching in front of your computer all day may cause you discomfort, but the evidence tells us it's not actually damaging your spine.双方似乎都同意，我们应该避免整天保持一种静态姿势——我们应该改变姿势并伸展身体。 人类的脊柱是为了移动而设计的，久坐的生活方式会增加背痛的风险。 如果您无法做到这一点，那么整天懒洋洋地坐在电脑前可能会让您感到不适，但证据告诉我们，这实际上并不会损害您的脊柱。词汇表erect posture 昂首挺胸的姿势，腰板挺直的姿势aesthetically pleasing 雅观的，看着舒服的pain-free 无痛的slump sitting 弯腰弓背的坐姿，懒散的坐姿slouch standing 弯腰驼背的站姿spine 脊柱physiotherapist 理疗医师upright 挺直的flex 向后弯曲arch 向后拱sloucher 低头垂肩的人，弯腰驼背的人aggravate 加重，使严重spinal curvature 脊柱弯曲static 静止的on the move 活动的sedentary 久坐不动的discomfort 不适