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The author mentioned in this article, Esther Gokhale, wrote a book several years ago with the somewhat goofy title 8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back, which I can't re

The author mentioned in this article, Esther Gokhale, wrote a book several years ago with the somewhat goofy title 8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back, which I can't recommend enough, especially if you suffer from back pain. It really transformed the way in which I think about my posture and ergonomics in general. One of the things she touched on in the book, which the NPR article seemed to miss, was a hypothesis that poor posture in the Western world is the result of a cultural shift in the early 20th century. Particularly that slouching and unnatural postures were a sort of rebellious statement against the Victorians for 1920's youth. Bad ergonomics and posture became so hip that they found their way into furniture design - something that became very clear to me after having a herniated disc and a vintage mid-century couch in my living room..

Someone1234 11y ago
Does one really need the book to learn the "secrets?" Is the entire book basically "stand up straight and your back pain goes away?"
- Darmani 11y ago
  That's a lot of it, except that it turns out that how to "stand up straight" is very counterintuitive. You will hurt yourself if you just try. Really, the book is not enough; you need the class, or at least the videos. They also teach you better ways of walking and bending.
  - thenomad 11y ago
    "it turns out that how to "stand up straight" is very counterintuitive" That sentence sums up most of my last decade or so's reading and learning on posture nicely :) Posture: it's harder than it looks.
  - rwhitman 11y ago
    In my case I was doing physical therapy for back pain at the same time I picked up the book, so while I was being taught how to change my posture and ergonomics by med professionals, the book was a good companion for expanding my knowledge..
- rwhitman 11y ago
  No, actually the entire book is just about comparing photographs of people who live in different parts of the world and how they sit / stand / walk etc.. If you wanted to sit for a few hours with google image search it could give the same conclusions really. The book is more or less a collection of illustrations and photographs of posture and a some exercises for training yourself to pose more like people who haven't been influenced too much by western culture. The author's background and the stupid title makes it sound like alternative medicine wacko snake oil but it's really not

Someone1234 11y ago

Does one really need the book to learn the "secrets?" Is the entire book basically "stand up straight and your back pain goes away?"

Darmani 11y ago
That's a lot of it, except that it turns out that how to "stand up straight" is very counterintuitive. You will hurt yourself if you just try. Really, the book is not enough; you need the class, or at least the videos. They also teach you better ways of walking and bending.
- thenomad 11y ago
  "it turns out that how to "stand up straight" is very counterintuitive" That sentence sums up most of my last decade or so's reading and learning on posture nicely :) Posture: it's harder than it looks.
- rwhitman 11y ago
  In my case I was doing physical therapy for back pain at the same time I picked up the book, so while I was being taught how to change my posture and ergonomics by med professionals, the book was a good companion for expanding my knowledge..
rwhitman 11y ago
No, actually the entire book is just about comparing photographs of people who live in different parts of the world and how they sit / stand / walk etc.. If you wanted to sit for a few hours with google image search it could give the same conclusions really. The book is more or less a collection of illustrations and photographs of posture and a some exercises for training yourself to pose more like people who haven't been influenced too much by western culture. The author's background and the stupid title makes it sound like alternative medicine wacko snake oil but it's really not