Check Your Sitting Posture to Avoid Back Pain

These days, most of us hold office jobs, which means we spend at least eight hours a day sitting down in front of a computer, with little to no time to straighten ourselves up by standing and moving around. 80 percent of Americans suffer from back pain at one point in their life, while back injuries are the number-one reason cited for missing work, figures show. A bad sitting posture can be corrected easily, though, experts say for physorg.

Given the worrying statistics, experts can never stress enough the importance of sitting straight when at work, in front of the desk. The most common abnormalities in our sitting posture imply rolling the shoulders forward and inward, sinking the chest, rounding the back and craning the neck forward. While they may not alter our spine in the short run, such a twisted posture will inevitably have painful, long-term consequences, leading to back and neck pain, experts warn, which is why it is extremely important that we always pay the utmost attention to how we sit.

“When you hold any body position for long periods of time, your spine is gradually reshaped into that very position through an adaptation of the connective soft tissues. Everyone has their own style of sitting, so to speak. But no one’s immune to gravity and, therefore, you will experience [back pain] as a result.” chiropractor Gregg Carb, author of the book “The Science of Sitting Made Easy,” says for the aforementioned publication. The good news is that adopting a good posture can relieve back pain and straighten the back, just like braces on the teeth align them again, Carb reveals.

In order to avoid slouching in front of the computer, we can use lombar support, which is usually a foam pad that encourages the natural arch of the lower back. High office chairs are also a good option, as long as we make sure we sit as far in the seatback as possible, keeping our back straight. Another important aspect is to control our breathing, because it makes it easier for us to sit upright if we take deep breaths that expand the ribcage.

“Patients are always worried about their head and shoulders being in the wrong position. But if you keep your rib cage up, the other parts will follow. That’s how to do it without overwhelming yourself doing too many things at once.” Carb says. Breathing deeply and not sinking the chest is the perfect way to keep a straight back, without having to try to keep tabs on too many things at once, while also concentrating on the pile of papers slowly growing on the desk before us, the chiropractor further explains.