5 Proven Techniques from a Chiropractor
Many people realize that their neck or back pain becomes worse after sitting for extended periods. In modern life, so much of what we do is seated. Any work at a desk, leasure time reading or watching TV and of course driving. The body was designed to move. The more we sit, the more the joints of the body will hurt. It’s not just how much we sit though, it’s how we sit. The spine works most efficiently and safely when proper posture is maintained.
5 Steps to Sitting Straight
- Sit deep in the seat – getting your bottom close to the back of the chair reduces the tendency to slouch. It puts the proper curve into the lower back. Sitting up straight, (once you are used to it) is less strain on the body because your weight is stacked up on the bones of your spine. When you slouch, that weight is hanging on the tendons and muscles that connect to the spine.
- Adjust the chair height so you can rest your fingers on the keyboard and mouse with your arms relaxed at your sides with at least a 95 degree angle at the elbows. Do not rest your wrists on the keyboard. Hold them up so there is no angle between the wrist and forearm.
- Your hips should be slightly above your knees to help keep the curve in your lower back. This also keeps the blood flowing well in your legs.
- Adjust your screen so your line of sight is about a third of the way down from the top when you are sitting up straight. You should not need to tilt your head up or down. Again that neutral joint position is what we are looking for. Always place the screen directly in front of you. If you are in a customer service position where the screen can not block your view, align your keyboard parallel to the screen and swivel in your chair to turn toward it.
- If you find yourself leaning into your screen, move the screen closer — a new pair of glasses may be the best thing you can do for your neck!
Posture for Using a Laptop
All of the above applies to laptop use with some caveats. Because the keyboard and screen are attached, you almost have to sacrifice the arm position or the neck position. The best solution is to have a separate keyboard on a keyboard tray and stack the laptop itself on some books. This is not the most practical solution when you are on the road, but if you are at home, it’s workable.
Even with these accommodations, most of the time the surface you have your laptop on is too high to allow the arms to be relaxed at your sides with an open angle at the elbows. If you don’t have a keyboard tray you may need an extra cushion on your chair and a footrest.
Posture for Cell Phone Use
Cell phones are the worst for posture. The seated posture is challenging enough. The real trouble comes when people walk around looking at their phone with their whole body slumped forward. Not only is it terrible for you back, you could walk into a pole.
The solution for both sitting and standing with a cell phone is to bring the phone up rather than tilting you head down. You can’t bring it up all the way to your line of sight because that would put too much tension into your arms and lower neck. With your elbows at your side, bring it up to the point that you can look down at it and use it without lowering your head. The same advice for sitting posture remain. If you are kicking back on the couch with your phone, you are on your own. I will say that a firm couch is better for your back than a soft one that lets your hips sink in.
How to Sit Properly in a Car Seat
Depending on the car you have, you may or may not be able to make a lot of adjustments. At the very least, you can adjust the seat angle so you are sitting up straight or maybe 5-10 degrees back. How close you are to the steering wheel is a compromise between arm comfort and proper leg position. You don’t want to be so close that your knee is above your hips. If you need to, you can get a wedge shaped cushion to help keep your hips higher. Some cars have an adjustment for seat tilt which is really nice.
Of course how tall you are has a big impact as well. If you are not tall enough to sit deep in the seat, you will need a cushion behind you. Even if you are tall, a good lumbar support is always helpful. If you are really tall, you will not be able to have the back of you seat at the proper angle unless you have a car with more headroom. Extremely tall? You will need a convertible. Sadly, good posture is not always practical.
The Golden Rule of Ergonomics
They say sitting is the new smoking, but it’s not like we have the choice to not sit and we wouldn’t want that. The key is to sit well and minimize stress on the body. But let’s go back to the fact that the body was meant to move. The real key is that, no matter what position you find yourself in, The Best Position is the Next Position. That is the golden rule of ergonomics.
