FitnessHow to Sit in an Office Chair Without Annihilating Your SpineScience has definitely proven that sitting is murdering you, which is bad news for a workforce that spends 65% of its waking day planted in an office chair. (Note: We researched that figure while planted in an office chair, because irony is real.)The more you're sedentary and clackity-clacking away on your computer machine at an office, coffee shop, couch, or airport terminal, the quicker your body is losing its lifelong battle with gravity. Alan Hedge is director of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Research Laboratory at Cornell University, so he's basically the sitting expert on sitting, and his prophecies are not real encouraging. "Poor seating leads to lower-back pain, injury to the lumbar discs, poor circulation to the legs, and deep vein thrombosis," he says darkly. Poor posture, on the other hand, leads to all of the above plus pain in the neck and shoulder, cubital tunnel syndrome in the elbow, and our old friend carpal tunnel: gradual mechanical breakdown, basically, while you're drafting fantasy QBs.Yet since at least half of us aren't presidential candidates, most of our days aren't terrifically active.
And that means we have two problems to address:Problem A: "How can I sit less?"Solution: Get up and walk around every half hour. Luckily, the Internet has left you unable to concentrate for anything more than 30 minutes anyway.Problem B: "Okay, but for the times when I pretty much have to be sitting, because I am obviously not cranking on Microsoft Excel whilst standing up, how can I improve my situation?"Solution: Take the following three steps.1. We'll see who's laughing when you're 60 and your torso can't swivel. Look around this website and you'll see a lot of swanky fall boots, movie gods in broody dark suits, and Instagram models in Barbados. We recognize that your work chair is not the coolest thing you'll consider this week. But you're seated in this object for eight to ten hours every weekday, which is probably more than you're wearing broody dark suits or snorkeling with Charlotte McKinney. Don't blow this off.2. Buy a new chair. Better yet, make your company buy you one. Hedge sees guys making the same mistakes when buying or choosing office chairs.
"They buy based on looks, price, or a two-minute butt test," he says. Hedge says those butt tests need to be much longer, and that testing an ergonomically correct chair in a showroom is akin to test-driving a car for 30 feet. "A beanbag is comfortable for the first few minutes, too," he says. Once you have your fancy new chair, don't blow it by slouching. Instead, make sure:A) Your feet are comfortably planted on the ground.B) Your screen is at arm's length.C) Your screen is at eye level.D) Your back is supported. If you need to, tuck a cushion between your lower back and the chair. Yes, your grandma did this. That's why she lived so long.Sorry we couldn't find the page you Here are some links you might find useful... Related Products & Accessories Stratta Mesh-Chair Seat Cushion Premium high-density foam seat cushion designed for Herman Miller Aeron mesh office chairs Easy to slip on cushion fits snuggly over the seat Comfortably retrofit your Aeron or other mesh office chair
Email to a Friend The Stratta Mesh Chair Seat Cushion by Bodybilt® Retrofit your Herman Miller Aeron or other mesh office chair with this comfortable high-density foam seat cushion. Not only does this specially designed chair cushion increase Aeron seat comfort, it also reduces instances of clothing fabric pulls. Foam Seat Cushion slips on easily. Made with environmentally friendly BioFlex™ Hybrid soy-based foam. Sized to fit many popular mesh office chair seats. Cushion height is 2". Regular/Large Mesh Office Chair Cushion Dimensions: 18-1/2"W x 19"D X-Large Mesh Office Chair Cushion Dimensions: 19-1/2"W x 21"DA lumbar support cushion may help you manage back pain and ease some of your symptoms. Do you have a job that involves lots of sitting? If so you probably have experienced some lower back pain as the day has gone on.There are many different lumbar pillows on the market – plenty of choice for you. First though, I will explain a little about why a lumbar support can help and highlight some things to think about before you buy one.
Many of us have lifestyles and jobs that require us to spend long, concentrated periods of time sitting. Office chairs are very rarely supportive of the lower back and many of us fail to take regular, frequent breaks. As a result the lower back is subjected to stresses and strains that eventually cause discomfort. The story is hear most often is this: The symptoms may have first started years ago as just a mild irritation but the longer the problem goes on the more uncomfortable it gets. Sometimes you can't even get comfortable in the evenings either. The reason this happens is to with the stress and strains we are putting through our lumbar spines in these prolonged positions. If you do not use a lumbar support cushion or if the chair you use has no decent low back support then you will sit in a more flexed position. Your spine is a nice strong solid structure made up of vertebrae separated from one another by spinal discs and supported by large muscles and ligaments.
When we are on the move this system is wonderfully strong and supportive. The trouble begins when we start applying prolonged low loads to the system. By sitting in a flexed position for hours you cause the ligaments at the back of the spine to be put on a gentle stretch. They resist this movement for a while but after time they begin to lengthen, the technical term for this is creep, which is a great way to describe it as the pain does creep up on you. This creep continues causing stresses to the lower back tissues, the muscles fatigue and you start to get pain. If you move and relieve the tension the ligaments recover a little and that makes it easier to continue. However, in the laboratory, studies have found that it takes about 7 hours for the creep to disappear and the tissues to regain their normal properties. The answer is to use a lumbar support cushion which sits in the small of your back. This physically prevents you from sitting in a slumped position and stops the prolonged flexion stresses.
This helps reduce ligament creep and can significantly relieve low back pain from sitting . There are a variety of different lumbar support products on the market. The most common are moulded pillows or cushions which sit in the small of your back – in the curve called the lordosis. The other types are rolls or D shaped supports that do the same thing. This is a type of * lumbar support cushion that sits in the chair and creates a good low back support to prevent sagging. Advantages are they are robust, disadvantages are they are less spongy than rolls and they may not fit all seats, especially seats that have moulded sides such as sports car seats. Good for office chairs and nice and sturdy. The * Mckenzie Lumbar Roll is the lumbar support of choice for most physiotherapists. I own one and have had the same one for nearly 20 years (its very shabby after all that time but I love it). They come in a variety of degrees of firmness and width. Experiment to try and get the right size.
Usually the medium size, medium density is suitable, the most common mistake is buying one that is too fat to be comfortable. More is not always better - it depends on your shape and how deep the curve is in your lower back. *The McKenzie Super Roll is like the roll above but slightly more suitable if you have a chair with some built in support already. The roll is flat at the back and curved at the front. Do you need an inflatable lumbar support? If you travel a lot or find it uncomfortable sitting when you are out this may be the answer. See the choice of nice light inflatable lumbar supports and rolls on offer. Advertisement - Article Continues Below When I discuss this problem with my patients I explain that this type of postural back pain is caused by us exposing our lower back to stresses and strains that after a while it cant cope with. I usually approach the problem by first looking to remove some of the stresses by using a lumbar support but I also want them to think about ways they can make their spine better able to cope with the stresses put upon it.