Sitting comfortably when you have back pain is a difficult technique
There is a comfortable way to sit when you have lower back pain, that is, a correct posture that puts less strain on your lower back. However, if you actually try it, you will discover the contradiction that "maintaining a comfortable sitting position for a long period of time is not comfortable." Sitting with correct posture is only possible if your muscles and joints are working properly.
Why is sitting difficult? Because it involves manual labor.
When we sit in a chair, we rarely spend the time doing nothing. We often do tasks that require the use of our hands, such as reading a book or using a computer. This means that we tend to adopt a posture with our hands extended forward, but when we do tasks that require the use of our hands, our correct posture immediately collapses.
The illustration shows the doll balancing on its hands in a forward position.
If you stand in the "stand in front" position, you will fall over due to the weight of your hands, so you spread your legs out in front and behind to stabilize yourself. However, you will still fall over, so you lean your upper body backward to maintain your balance.
The same is true for humans, who complete the standing posture by moving their head, back, and hips.
However, when sitting in a chair, you cannot move your legs, so you maintain balance by slouching or tilting your pelvis.
It turns out that it is not possible to maintain proper posture and work with your hands out in front of you.
You may be able to work with good posture for a short period of time, but your muscles will fatigue over time, so it's difficult to maintain good posture for an extended period of time without succumbing to fatigue.
You may have tried to make an effort to keep your pelvis upright or to place a cushion behind your back, but if you still haven't felt better until now, it's not just because of the way you're sitting. It's because your body isn't prepared to handle the special technique of working while sitting.
To sit comfortably when you have back pain, find out which parts of your body are moving poorly and stretch the muscles that are preventing you from maintaining good posture.
- Being praised for your posture
- I changed the chair and cushions.
- Stretching, running, etc.
- Have received treatment such as a massage
The key to solving this problem is to understand your body's habits
It turns out that people are more likely to slouch when sitting while doing manual work than when sitting in a chair doing nothing. Therefore, if you have a stiff body that is prone to slouching, it can be said that it is much more difficult to maintain good posture in a chair than someone who is not.
Knowing whether you are in a good position to sit is just as important as knowing how to sit properly. So, let's check whether your usual physical condition makes you prone to slouching.
The illustration shows a test being done to check neck movement, but if you have a hunched back you won't be able to look straight up.
Ideally, your face should be parallel to the ceiling.
There are three reasons why you can't look straight up. The first is when your back moves backwards and you're hunched over. The second is when the movement of your shoulder blades is poor, limiting the movement of your chest and stomach. The third is when the movement of your neck itself is poor.
Poor neck movement can lead to a hunched posture, which is more pronounced when sitting, where the back tends to curve.
The illustration shows testing the flexibility of the inner thigh muscles (adductors).
If your adductor muscles are stiff, your knees will not move closer to the floor. The ideal flexibility is when there is a gap of one to two fists between your knees and the floor.
In particular, if the adductor magnus is stiff, the pelvis will tilt backward and the back will become rounded.
Using tests to find distortions will help you understand your body's habits, which will provide clues to finding a solution.
Treatment record
Let's take a look at the records to see what steps can be taken to improve lower back pain that makes it difficult to sit.
- Symptoms: Lower back pain when sitting and walking for long periods. Pain in the neck and between the shoulder blades.
- Age: 30s
- Work: Mainly desk work
- What I tried: Back cushion, stretching, massage
If we were to put the events up to now in chronological order, it would look something like this:
- I was told that back pain was inevitable in a job that required sitting.
- I was told that massage and stretching are effective in relieving muscle fatigue.
- Start stretching
- Introducing a cushion that supports the pelvis
- I started walking more, but I started to experience back pain while walking.
Various tests will be performed to find the cause. Various parts of the body have a limited range of movement. If you are unable to move as you should, or if it is difficult to move up and down or to the left or right, this may be the cause of the pain.
Test results
The examination revealed that factors that cause hunched posture were hidden in a wide area, including the legs, chest, and neck.
We are testing the stiffness of the muscles in the back of the thighs (hamstrings).
It would be ideal if both hands could reach the floor, but this was not possible.
If the back of your thighs are stiff, your pelvis will tend to tilt backward, which will cause your waist and back to tend to round when you sit.
I also noticed that my right thigh was stiffer.
The thigh muscles are some of the most powerful in the human body, and they change the position of the pelvis, which affects the feet and can cause a 2cm difference in leg length.
Although the patient complains of lower back pain, I don't touch their lower back from the start. There are two reasons for this.
① Inflammation worsens and the number of visits to the hospital increases
When you massage your lower back, it definitely improves blood circulation for a moment, which feels good. However, the muscles causing pain are inflamed, so pressing on them will only make the inflammation worse. This will result in constant pain, and during the treatment, it will be impossible to tell whether your symptoms are improving or not.
This makes it impossible to tell on the spot whether the symptoms have improved, so we end up saying, "That's all for today. Let's see how it goes for a while," which results in the patient having to come to the clinic more often. This is not desirable as it increases the burden on the customer.
② There is no cause in the area where the pain is occurring
When you have lower back pain, the cause is often far away, in the neck, shoulders, or legs. Massaging your lower back may feel good, but it doesn't fundamentally improve the problem.
Also, the muscles that are causing pain may not be relaxed, and the more treatment you receive, the worse the pain will become.
For these two reasons, even though the patient complains of pain in their lower back, we do not touch their lower back from the start.
Treatment details
We will introduce you to holistic treatments.
There is an image that chiropractic is something that softens muscles, but in fact it also adjusts joint movement, because poor joint movement can cause muscles to become stiff.
The illustrations identify areas of spinal restriction and encourage joint movement. With the correct adjustment, the pain disappears immediately.
This time, the problem created by the back affected the abdomen on the other side of the body, creating a stomach that could not expand or contract.
A follow-up examination showed that the abdominal tension had disappeared and neck movement when looking up at the ceiling was within normal limits.
This will make it easier for you to sit without slouching.
The patient will then try again any movements that were painful during the pre-treatment examination. We ask the patient to confirm that there are no problems with any of the movements.
The pain is caused by lifestyle habits that stem from the way you use your body every day. Sitting cuts off blood flow to the lower body, which not only worsens the condition of the muscles but also affects their lifespan. I explained to the patient that they should be careful when sitting continuously, and that daily stretching and training can prevent recurrence. This completes the treatment.
In statistics on pain problems, lower back pain is the second most common problem for women and the most common problem for men.
When you are in pain, prioritize a position that causes less pain.
The cause of the pain is an imbalance in the muscles. When the balance is poor, even standing posture that is considered good for the body can cause pain. Neither posture will necessarily reduce the pain.
While it's clear that standing puts less strain on your muscles and is better for your health, there are two things you should be aware of.
The first is that staying in the same position for a long period of time is a strain.
Even if you are standing, staying in the same position for a long time puts a strain on your body. If you try working at a desk while standing, you will find that your posture will deteriorate after 10 minutes.
You may not realize it, but your muscles can no longer maintain the same posture, causing you to shift your weight onto one leg or slump one shoulder. This is because humans are not designed to stay in one position for long periods of time. Therefore, it is recommended that you alternate between sitting and standing.
Second, tasks that require you to hold your hands out in front of your body require you to maintain a strained posture.
This is true whether you're standing or sitting, so if you're hoping that standing at your desk will solve your back pain, you might be disappointed.
It is important to stop working at your desk, even if it is just for a short time, and return to a posture that is not straining you. We recommend frequently alternating between sitting and standing.
Here's a summary of whether standing or sitting is better when you have lower back pain:
Unless you correct the muscle imbalance, the problem won't be solved.
- If you stay in the same position for a long time, even if you are standing, you will get back pain.
- Desk work itself puts a lot of strain on the body, and even standing can cause back pain. "}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How often should I stand up?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"
Once every 15 minutes. Don't just stand, move your lower body.
As long as your body is moving, even a little, your muscles are active and your metabolism will not slow down. However, when you sit, the activity of the muscles in your lower body stops completely. This reduces blood flow to the muscles, making them more likely to lose flexibility. This can also lead to chronic inflammation, which can cause various illnesses.
Furthermore, it affects maximal oxygen uptake, the maximum amount of oxygen the body can use. Maximum oxygen uptake affects the amount of energy produced by mitochondria in cells, and is related to the risk of heart disease and death.
A 2003 study found that prolonged sitting reduces VO2 max, with a sedentary 50-year-old's VO2 max being similar to that of an active 80-year-old.
This leads one to wonder if exercising during non-working hours would lower the risk of death, but a 2009 study found that no matter how much exercise one does, there is no change in the risk of death.
Therefore, if you have a habit of sitting continuously, get up from your chair every 15 minutes and do some stretching or other exercise that moves your lower body.
Steps to solve the problem holistically
The way we use our bodies, learned from childhood through play, sports, accidents, childbirth and other events, has shaped the physical condition we have today.
If you are experiencing pain, it is simply your body's way of telling you that there is a problem with the way you have been using your body up until now.
The first step to solving the problem is to stop the pain. After identifying the cause through an examination and then performing treatment, the pain will be reduced. Only after the pain has been alleviated will you be ready to learn how to use your body correctly.
The second step is to learn how to use your body correctly. This will change your body and brain so that you don't go back to your old state.
Since physical pain is often caused by lifestyle habits, stretching and exercise are necessary. Just like brushing your teeth, consistent practice is important.
If you want to solve your pain, you need to stop the pain first, then stretching and exercise can come afterwards.
