Is your seat is causing you problems?
If you didn’t have pain before you sat down, but you do when you got up? It is the chair that caused it.
People are very good at finding other reasons for why they have pain, for example, “I played football 2 days ago therefore my back hurts”. If that is true, why didn’t you get pain immediately after playing?
On average Brit spend 10.4 hours sitting per day. What we sit on matters.
The issue with modern furniture:
Modern furniture (sofas, chairs and desk chairs) is built to accommodate and exacerbate poor postures. They have a dipped or bucket seat which encourages the pelvis to roll backwards and your upper body to slump forward. This posture not only affects your breathing by limiting rib expansion, but it also flattens the lower back, putting pressure on your lumbar spine and leads to potential lower back pain.
It may be comfortable at the time, but the long-term effects are catastrophic. The evidence shows that a slight forward tilt on a chair encourages the normal curvature (lordosis) in the lower back, decreasing the pressure on the spine and body.
If you think back 20 years, most designs of car seats, sofas or chairs were relatively flat and hard. People’s postures were more upright, and people had less pain. At what point did we decide we needed to over engineer furniture? More people have pain now than they ever have, with the trend steadily increasing. Low back pain prevalence is predicted to increase by 36% by 2025.
The consequences of poor sitting:
Sitting in unsupported positions opens you up to a hosts of potential health problems:
- Circulatory issues
- Diabetes
- Respiratory issues
- Cardiac issues
- Postural decline
People who sit a lot are more likely to have these problems and even face a higher risk of early death. Sedentary behaviour doesn’t just impact physical health; it also affects mental well-being. The further your posture deviates from normal, the worse your overall function becomes.
Tips to help you sit better:
Want to keep your body healthy and supported? Then you must support it through life to maintain your normal spinal curves.
- Make sure your hips are above your knees
- Sit on a firm, flat surface or with a slight forward tilt
- Try a sit stand desk to change up your position throughout the day
- Move more often during the day
This is also true for adolescents and children, who spend a disproportionate amount of time sitting in the modern world, whether that is in a classroom, in a buggy, in a car seat or a highchair. Supporting the developing spine is crucial for their health. Encourage them to move more and sit less to help our younger generation be healthier.
If you want more personalised advice on taking care of your body, chat to one of our friendly practitioners. They are here to help!
Reference list
Aramaki, Y., Kakizaki, F., Kawata, S., Omotehara, T. and Itoh, M. (2021). Effects of the posterior pelvic tilt sitting posture on thoracic morphology and respiratory function. Journal of Physical Therapy Science, 33(2), pp.118–124.
British Heart Foundation (2016). Sitting down. [online] Bhf.org.uk. Available at: https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/activity/sitting-down.
Corliss, J. (2024). How much do you sit, stand, and move each day? [online] Harvard Health. Available at: https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/how-much-do-you-sit-stand-and-move-each-day#:~:text=Based%20on%20a%20week.
Kim, J.-W., Kang, M.-H., Noh, K.-H., Kim, J.-S. and Oh, J.-S. (2014). A Sloped Seat Wedge Can Change the Kinematics of the Lumbar Spine of Seated Workers with Limited Hip Flexion. Journal of Physical Therapy Science, [online] 26(8), pp.1173–1175. doi:https://doi.org/10.1589/jpts.26.1173.
World Health Organization (2023). Low back pain. [online] www.who.int. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/low-back-pain#:~:text=In%202020%2C%20low%20back%20pain.
