Hello Friend,
Does sitting for more than a few minutes cause pain for you? One of the most common questions I receive as a therapist every day is, "how can I make sitting less painful?"
In order to address this, I've made a list of the most common mistakes people make while sitting, and how to correct them.
(Some of these you may already know, some you may not. Even if you do, they are great reminders!) - “Deep couch sitting” wrecks your back. If you must sit on a couch, it is best to lie down on your back or on your side, with appropriate pillows for your head.
- Lazy boy chairs should be thrown in the trash if you want a healthy and mobile spine.
- When sitting, elongate your spine through the crown of your head. Imagine yourself as a puppet on strings.
- Make sure you are sitting on both butt-bones (sitz bones) with your feet on the floor and your pelvis facing straight forward.
- Try not to tuck a leg under the other leg, sit off on one side, or cross your legs.
- If you MUST cross your legs, be sure to switch sides. (Those with hip replacements should not cross their legs at any time.)
- Studies show that it only takes about 30 minutes of continuous sitting for muscles to tighten. Aim to get up and move around / stretch at least once per hour. Setting a timer on your phone or computer will help you to be more aware of this.
- Make sure that the height of your computer, tablet, book, or other external device is at the appropriate height, so it is not damaging your spine. The general rule is: Bring the device to you, not you to the device. More specifics of this can be found in the video below.
- Stretching your hips and low back, while strengthening your postural muscles helps a lot. A physical therapist can help you determine which stretches and exercises are most appropriate for you.
If you are more of a visual person, I highly recommend this video I made to help with posture: |
