Sitting Properly: Decrease Pain and Improve Productivity
Originally written and posted by the Alberta College and Association of Chiropractors
Research has shown, sitting at work accounts for one-third to one-half of sitting time . Sitting at your desk, in meetings and in your car to and from work, are common for most people. You’re most likely sitting while reading this blog.
Sitting for prolonged periods can cause back, neck and shoulder pain.
Most think you’re more likely to injure yourself during activities like golfing or gardening, but sitting for extended periods of time while at work can produce chronic pain and can limit range of motion for many people. There are ways however, to ensure your office job doesn’t mean more pain than productivity.
Move Around
It may seem simplistic, but even getting up and stretching every hour or so can go a long way in preventing pain. Sitting in the exact same position for long periods of time can cause muscles to stiffen and can slow circulation.
A great device created with the intention to keep your blood circulating is a very simple desktop unit that allows you to raise your working surface with just two levers. The entire unit is on hydraulics, making it effortless to go from sitting to standing.
Posture
While it’s important to ensure you get up and move around, it’s equally important to ensure you have the correct posture while you’re sitting. Here are some tips to ensure your sitting posture is correct:
- Always try to sit upright, with your shoulders down and back all the way to the back of the seat. The back of your pelvis should be butted against the back of the chair for support.
- Keep your body weight distributed to both of your feet evenly. Try not to cross your legs as that rotates the pelvis backwards on the side that you are crossing over.
- Try using a lumbar support, which is essentially a cushion for your lower back that rests on the back of your chair. A lumbar support can go a long way in preventing pain.
Your Chair
Your chair can be a big factor in whether or not you experience pain. If your chair height isn’t correct, you’ll have to extend your forearms downwards or upwards to type. This can cause pain to either shoot up to your shoulder blades or sit in your wrists.
Also, you should always try to have your chair under your desk as far as you can, this helps to prevent slouching forwards putting strain on your lower back.
How Chiropractic Can Help
A chiropractor is trained to help you understand how you can prevent and alleviate pain with prolonged sitting.
Chiropractors are experts in the diagnosis and treatment of conditions of the musculoskeletal system (the body’s bones, muscles, cartilage, tendons, joints and connective tissue). Your chiropractor will first assess your current condition or the source of your problem and then develop a treatment plan for you to help ease your pain.
