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How you should be sitting in your office chair
Setting up your office chair is an important step in reducing back pain when working. Sitting at your desk all day is sure to result in back pain in the lower back and can even worsen an existing back issue if you are not sitting in the best position for your body.
The reason why office chairs can cause so much back pain is that the office chair keeps you in a stationary position for the day. When you are sitting in the same position all day, especially one that is not optimum for your shape or size, you are sure to develop problems, especially in your lower back.
Having an incorrect posture in your office chair will result in pain in the back, shoulders, arms, and legs. It will especially cause difficulty in the spine including the disks and vertebrae.
People who are not seated properly in their chair can develop a bad habit of slouching over or slouching down in their chair. This posture causes the spinal muscles and ligaments to become stretched and the disks that encircle the ligaments and bone in the spine can become strained as a result, which is sure to cause pain.
Don’t forget to check out what the best office chairs for back pain relief are!
The Ideal Sitting Position For Your Office Chair
Ensuring that you are seated in the best possible position in your office chair will minimize the pain that you will feel in your back and other areas of your body. The best way to do this is to assess the way that you sit in your chair and any adjustments that you may be able to make.
Firstly, you should check to see if your back is in line with the back of the office chair. You should be sitting upright and not being tempted to slouch. Leaning forward, even when you are tired is sure to cause back pain. To remedy this, you should consider choosing an office chair that has a custom fit, and one that is specifically designed to suit the curves of the back. Lumbar support is important and it would be ideal if the back can be adjusted to suit your height too. This is especially important in a chair that you will be sitting in for hours at a time.
The shoulders can also develop pain and if your shoulders are in pain, this can sometimes cause problems for your back too. You should choose a chair that has armrests and makes any adjustments that you can to ensure that your arms are bent at a 70 to 90-degree angle at the elbows.
If the office chair is too low or too high, this could result in problems with blood circulation in the legs, leg pain, hip problems and lower back pain. If necessary, you should raise the feet using a footrest, or increase the height of the chair using a cushion.
No matter how comfortable your office chair may be, it is important that you don’t sit at your desk all day. You should make sure that you get up and walk around to stretch your muscles frequently.
Standing and walking around for one or two minutes every half hour will ensure that your muscles can have the chance to stretch. This could be as simple as walking to the bathroom or the water cooler or even taking documents to a colleague’s office.
If you can take the time for a slightly longer break, then a walk of around 20 minutes will really help you to keep the blood flowing nicely through your body and will help you to keep your muscles well stretched and exercised.
Alternatives To Office Chairs
If you feel that your posture isn’t improving by using an office chair, you could switch to another type of seat for a while.
Some people find that they have no other choice but to maintain good posture when they use a Swedish kneeling chair or even an exercise ball. Although it would seem that back support is necessary when you look at high-quality office chairs, both of these alternatives encourage you to keep a straight back without a chair back.
It should be noted however that people who have a history of back problems, or those who have severe back pain should consult their doctor before choosing an alternative chair type like one of these.
Although there are so many office chair options available out there, not every chair will suit every person. The best way to ensure that you will not experience back pain when you are working at your desk all day is to buy the most adjustable chair that will be the most suited to your own body’s dimensions. Remember to keep adjusting the chair as necessary and don’t ignore any pains that you might experience in your muscles as these may be indications that you need to make an adjustment to your posture.