| Correct sitting posture is a very important, but | | | | hips. This promotes a slumped sitting posture and |
| often overlooked posture. Below you will learn | | | | increases stress on the ligaments, discs, and |
| how to implement correct sitting posture into | | | | muscles of your low back. On the other hand, if |
| your daily lifestyle. | | | | your knees are level with, or even slightly below |
| First, sit on your chair so that about half of your | | | | your hips (which I prefer), it is easier to sit up |
| thigh is on the chair and about half of your thigh is | | | | straight. This promotes a better posture in your |
| off the chair. "Scoot" forward if necessary. | | | | low back, which makes it easier to have better |
| Additionally, you want to make sure that both | | | | posture in your upper back and neck. |
| feet are positioned firmly and flat on the floor. | | | | Once your legs are positioned, you have to find |
| This position will distribute some of your body's | | | | your neutral spine. Do this by rolling your hips and |
| weight through your feet, keeping all of your | | | | pelvis backward to round out your low back. |
| weight from going through your spine. | | | | Then, roll them all the way forward, arching your |
| Moving forward in the chair may move you away | | | | low back. |
| from the backrest on the chair and leave you | | | | In this position, your low back is probably very |
| without a back support. Depending on your chair, | | | | arched, and you are sitting up really straight. From |
| there are a number of things you can do to solve | | | | here, slightly roll your hips and pelvis back a little |
| this problem. | | | | bit, so that you are still sitting up straight. But, |
| Some chairs have a back rest that adjusts | | | | instead of your back being in an arched position, it |
| forward or backward to give you support. If you | | | | is simply in a nice, upright posture between all the |
| have a chair with a fixed back, or a back that | | | | way slumped and all the way arched. |
| does not move far enough forward, your best | | | | From here, position your shoulders by raising your |
| bet is to do one of the three following things.o Roll | | | | arms with your elbows bent (like in the "stick up" |
| up a towel so that it forms a roll approximately 6 | | | | position). Next, bring your elbows back so that |
| inches in diameter. Simply place this in the space | | | | you are "pinching" your shoulder blades together. |
| between your low back and your chair, at about | | | | Once your arms are back as far as they will go, |
| the same level as your belly button.o Take a | | | | slowly lower your elbows to your sides. |
| pillow and fold it in half. Then, just as you would | | | | One thing I want you to pay special attention to |
| do with the towel roll, place the pillow between | | | | is that you are not shrugging your shoulders up |
| your back and the chair at about the level of | | | | toward your ears. Instead of shrugging the |
| your belly button.o Purchase a lumbar support roll. | | | | shoulders, make sure you pinch your shoulder |
| However, most of these do not provide much | | | | blades together while keeping your shoulders |
| more support, or give you a different type of | | | | down, like you are trying to pull them down |
| support, than either of the other two methods | | | | toward your back pockets. |
| we discussed. The advantage of purchasing a | | | | Lastly, pull your ears back over your shoulders. |
| lumbar support roll is that many of them have | | | | This may feel awkward for you, but that is |
| straps that can be attached to the chair so that it | | | | understandable. Rest assured, if you make a |
| stays on all the time. | | | | commitment to working on your posture, it will |
| There is one more thing that is important to | | | | feel more natural as the body becomes more |
| make sure you do to position yourself properly | | | | accustomed to a correct sitting posture. |
| on your chair. That is, you want to make sure | | | | Do you want to learn more about what I teach |
| you adjust the height of your chair so that your | | | | my patients with lower back pain at The Back |
| knees are either level with, or slightly below your | | | | University regarding posture, ergonomics, and |
| hips. This is very important because if your chair | | | | workstation setup? |
| is too low, your knees will be higher than your | | | | |