This is the best sitting posture.
Many physical therapy articles and rehab blogs discuss the importance of sitting posture and how perfect sitting posture is essential to avoid neck and back pain. Here are a few examples of what I found in several articles online.
- Sit with your feet flat on the floor. This position helps to distribute your weight evenly and reduces pressure on your lower back.
- Support your lower back. If your chair doesn’t provide enough support for your lower back, consider using a lumbar roll or cushion. This can help maintain the natural curve of your spine and prevent low back pain.
- Sit up straight. Sitting up straight helps to maintain good posture and reduce strain on your back. Avoid slouching or leaning forward.
While these may be helpful recommendations as part of the physical therapy process, they miss the most important thing.
There is no perfect sitting posture, and the “best” posture is the one that is constantly changing.
When standing, we naturally sway and shift our weight forward and back or from one foot to another. Unfortunately, this goes away as we sit and concentrate on something…like this blog I’m writing!
The longer we concentrate on something, muscular tension increases. This keeps us still and helps us focus better on what is in front of us. Unfortunately, too much muscular tension leads to discomfort.
Does this mean you must get up every 10-15 minutes and move around? In a perfect world, sure, but there may be better solutions if you try to get stuff done.
As I am writing this article, I am fidgeting. My sitting posture is changing, and I am shifting my weight from one side to the other. I sometimes cross one leg under the other and raise or lower my chair.
But one more part of sitting posture may be most impactful.
Give your eyes a break.
Research shows a connection between high levels of focus on a screen and discomfort in the upper body.
Optometrists recommend the 20/20/20 rule to help with this. The 20/20/20 rule states that for every 20 minutes of focus-intensive work, you should take a 20-second break and look 20 feet away.
This helps to reduce your focus on a single point and, as a result, reduces tension in your upper body.
Our bodies typically don’t respond well when we ask them to be still for long periods. A more active approach to sitting helps us avoid the discomfort that may come with it.
If you are interested in learning other strategies that can be used to sit comfortably throughout your day, contact us!
