In emergency situations, regularly trained technical skills return as automatisms. This is so with the positioning of our critical patients. According to their signs and symptoms (e.g. respiratory distress, unconsciousness, hypotension), they will be installed immediately in a semi-sitting position, in the recovery position, in the Trendelenburg position or with raised legs. But are these gestures repeated and transmitted to successive generations of caregivers really effective and safe? Do we understand the original context and purpose in which these positions were invented? Here we review three of the most common positions in emergency medicine, reminding ourselves of their contextual origin, as well as existing evidence and limits to their use. It is up to you to judge whether they remain relevant in your clinical practice.