Slouching on your sofa or in front of your computer at work isn't as bad for you as you have been told, an expert has claimed.

Years of slating bad postures as being detrimental to our health is 'wrong', Jack Chew, of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy says.

In fact, slouching could be recommended - as forcing yourself to adhere to sitting upright at all times may be wreaking havoc on your body.

But due to the financial opportunity it provides firms based around trendy wellness techniques, slouching is dubbed as awful.

Such fears have sparked an entire industry to arise, promising to kick people into shape by realigning them, taking hundreds of their pounds simultaneously.

Years of slating bad postures as being detrimental to our health is 'wrong', Jack Chew, of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy says (stock)

Mr Chew told The Times: 'The assumption that we all need to be perfectly aligned is just wrong... nothing about our bodies is entirely symmetrical.

'Our organs aren't positioned symmetrically; we each have a dominant side.'

Mr Chew's claims challenge a body of evidence that states the opposite, suggesting that slouching is the root cause of many ailments.

Move on

'It [slouching] is sold as the key cause of so many ailments, yet it remains just one of many potential factors that might contribute to a health problem.

'We need to get away from this idea that bad posture is the single cause of so many complaints because that is never the case.'

Scores of businesses have popped up on the back of such research, desperate to tap into a goldmine of adults worried about their bad postures.

Substantial links to bad backs, which affects four in five people at some point in their lifetime, have also been reported.

GOOD POSTURE TO TREAT DEPRESSION Good posture could help treat depression, a study published in January claimed. Previous research has showed that slouching can crush one's mood, and sitting straight does the opposite. But University of Auckland researchers wanted to examine if something as simple as posture could work for people diagnosed with depression. 'Compared to sitting in a slumped position, sitting upright can make you feel more proud after a success, increase your persistence at an unsolvable task, and make you feel more confident in your thoughts,' lead researcher Dr Elizabeth Broadbent explained. Advertisement

Tapping into a goldmine

Often adults are desperate to avoid the middle-aged burden of a bad back and seek innovative ways to prevent such.

Due to the growing demand, wellness firms have responded in their hundreds with the invention of gadgets promoting better postures.

One includes 'Tru-Align', a series of five cushions designed to realign the backs of users. It costs £384 ($495), The Independent reports.

Another, called CoreAlign, offers a balance body course and the equipment needed to partake for just under £2,800 ($3,600).

Depression links

Mr Chew's claims just after New Zealand-based researchers earlier this year said that good posture could be used to treat depression.

In January they discovered sitting upright can make people feel more proud after a success and more confident in their thoughts.

Research in 2012 made a link between people who walk with a bad posture and the risk of being depressed.

A study from San Francisco State University found slouching can lead to decreased energy and feelings of depression.