Hello everyone! This is a FANTASTIC day to talk about sitting posture. Want to prevent lower back pain while sitting at work?! Here are 4 best ways to improve your sitting posture and decrease your lower back pain.
#1: Get up every 30-45 minutes, this is very, very critical! Set an alarm on your cell phone and after 30-45 minutes alleviate the pressure throughout the spine by standing, stretching and or walking for 1-2 minutes then get back to work. I understand, you can get so caught up in your tasks throughout the day then not realize that you have been sitting for so long but that is what the alarm is for.
#2: Adjust your seat height so that your hips are angled slightly higher than you knees while being able to maintain both feet comfortably flat on the floor. You can do this by playing with the seat height- adjust that lever under that seat or investing in chair wedge.
#3: Adjust your computer monitor. Most of the time I have to suggest making minor adjustments to the computer set up itself. First see if your eye level naturally and easily is positioned to middle of the computer screen. Next see if your shoulders are nicely relaxed with hands on keyboard. Your shoulders should not bee shrugging toward your ears. If this is sounds like you, you may have to raise or lower your computer monitor, or adjustment of the seat height without changing too much the position discussed in #2.
#4: Invest in a lumbar support. I have to say that my favorite and what I have recommended to almost all my patients with lower back pain is the McKenzie Super Roll (especially for my bulging disc patients-found on Amazon) to place in your work chair to assist with improving your sitting posture. Remember just because you are using a lumbar support does not allow you to sit for hours without pain. It should be use for support. Sometimes a bed pillow will do the trick too- placed vertically to support the curvatures of the mid to lower spine, taking some stress away from the muscles.
Hope these tips are helpful! Try these out and let me know how it worked for you. If you have any other questions, leave me a comment.