If your job involve sitting at a desk for longs periods, this may not necessarily be the best for your body if you don't take the proper precautions. One of the best ways to limit negative consequences to your body is to use correct posture while sitting in your chair. Having correct posture in a chair will encourage good breathing, prevent backaches, muscle tension, spine problems, muscle and body fatigue and may prevent arthritis from developing. Step 1 Scoot your bottom all the way to the back of the chair. Keep your tailbone gently tucked against the back of the chair while sitting. This will help to keep your back straight. Step 2 Hold your back up straight, with your back keeping its natural curves. Do not over-straighten or strain your back. If you have difficultly finding your natural curve in your back, the Cleveland Clinic recommends sitting at the edge of your chair and allow your body to completely slouch. Then sit up with your back arched as much as you can for a few seconds. Then allow your back to relax slightly to find your natural good sitting posture. If needed, use a lumbar roll or a rolled-up towel to maintain this natural curve. Step 3 Keep your body weight centered by making sure that your weight is evenly distributed between your hips. Do not twist in your chair to reach things. Instead, turn your chair if it rolls or stand to get what you need. Step 4 Place your feet flat on the floor. Crossing your legs can cause spine damage and causes your weight to be unequally distributed in the body. Step 5 Keep your knees at the same level as your hips, or even slightly higher. Use a footstool or or footrest, if needed, to keep your knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Step 6 Line your shoulders up with your ears and keep them relaxed. If needed, rest your arms and elbows on armrests to promote shoulder relaxation. Step 7 Sit in your chair for no more than 30 minutes at a time. Get up and walk around your office, go to the bathroom or get a drink. Sitting for prolonged periods will tire your body, inhibit good circulation and impede your ability to sit correctly in your chair. Source
Great post, but I have a difference of opinion with regard to point 5 (i agree with the rest )...actually this concept has been floating around since time immemorial, but is not base on sound biomechanics. Actually prolonged hours at the desk, causes the sacrospinalis to fatigue and surrender to the force of gravity...causing the pelvis to go into a posterior tilt...rounding the back, with loss of normal lordosis. If we keep the feet at a height, such that the knee is level or higher than the hip, then it forces the pelvis further into posterior tilt ( adding to the pelvic tilt from fatigue of the back musculature ). Another fall out of this posterior pelvic tilt is that, the hamstring becomes chronically shortened ( because the ischial tuberosity is closer to the knee in posterior pelvic tilt ). Which means the reverse ( i.e knee being lower than hips ), should be helpful to ease the pelvis into anterior tilt and relieve the strain on the spine. Please note: It's still possible for the pelvis to be retroverted, even if the knees are below the level of the hip...which means if you sit slumped in your chair..the rest doesn't matter...u will strain ur back. Most of the time it's just habitual. I am posting some images from a book - 8 steps to a pain free back....to make the point clearer Comments are welcome (-:
