Spending most of the time in a day sitting results in tension/pain in the back, shoulder, neck, hips, and knees. We call these the effects of poor sitting posture. The continuation of poor sitting posture for several years increases the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, joint damage, heart diseases, and so on.
So, should you abandon your career to avoid these diseases? Since the invention of technology, sedentary jobs have increased more than ever. While you can not swap your sedentary job for a physically active job or quit your job, one thing you should do is improve your sitting posture.
Quick Tips For Proper Sitting Posture In Chair
What most people understand by proper sitting posture is sitting straight. Proper sitting posture is not just about sitting straight, it is more than this. For instance, no matter how straight you sit, if you do not keep your pelvis neutral, your anterior pelvis will tilt. So, with the aim of avoiding tilting the anterior pelvis, you should develop the habit of sitting keeping your pelvis neutral or get a chair for anterior pelvis tilt.
Support Your Back
When you sit for a long time, most of the weight and pressure are stressed on your spine. For this reason, you feel pain in your back after sitting for a while. Hence, supporting your back should be the first step toward improving your sitting posture.
Lumbar support promotes a good sitting posture by filling the gap between your lumbar spine and your chair. It can support the natural concave of your lower back. If your chair does not have any lumbar support, you can buy a lumbar pillow or lumbar cushion. You can also use a rolled towel instead of a lumbar pillow. Remember that the towel or pillow should not be too large; otherwise, your spine will be forced into an inappropriate position and will be painful. Keep the towel large enough to fill the gap between the inward curve of your back and the seat.
Adjust Your Chair
The height of the chair should be such that you can keep your knees aligned with your hips. This position helps you keep your spine position neutral. If you sit in a short chair or a chair that is in a low position, your knees will naturally be above your hips. On the other hand, sitting in a tall chair will position your hips higher than your knees.
Both of these sitting positions can inflame the cartilage of your kneecaps and put pressure on your ankles. These positions stress excessive pressure on your back and cause backache and stiffness.
Put Your Feet Flat On The Floor
Make sure that your feet are placed flat on the floor. Bend your knees at 90° and keep them aligned with your hips. If your feet do not reach the ground or only the toes reach the ground, it can exert pressure on your thighs and affect the blood circulation. As a result, you will suffer from pains and cramps in your knees and feet.
Some people like to cross their legs while sitting. This sitting position can also affect your blood flow by putting excessive stress on your back’s large supporting muscles. Another issue with this sitting position is that it makes you lean to one side which eventually leads to an imbalanced pelvis.
Place Your Screen At Eye Level
The screen of your computer should be at a distance of 18-24 inches from your eyes and at the height of your eye level. If you do not place the screen of your computer at your eye level, you will be exerting stress on your neck because of looking up or down.
In this way, you will develop neck strains, headaches, and cervical disc herniation. So, you should immediately adjust your computer screen if it is not placed in the proper position. You can use books or a monitor desk stand to place the computer screen at your eye level.
Keep Your Forearms Parallel With The Floor
Rest your forearms on your desk parallelly. Leave 4-6 inches of space on your desk empty to keep your arms on the desk. Keep the necessary documents, mouse, and computer keyboard within your reach so that you use them whenever you want without stretching and bending forwards. Continuous stretching can result in rounded shoulder and upper back pain.
If there is no empty space on your desk, rest your hands on the armrests of your chair. In this way, your arms and shoulders will be relaxed and your upper extremities will be relieved of excess stress.
Avoid Protruding Your Head Forward
Always remember to sit keeping your ears, shoulders, and hips. Keeping your head protruding forward is a bad habit. Studies have shown that with every inch of your head moving forward place an extra ten pounds of weight on your neck.
Sitting with sticking your head out can cause forward head posture that can lead to several health issues such as muscle spasms, insomnia, neck and back pain, neck arthritis, headaches, migraine, restricted breathing, chronic fatigue, sleep apnea, and arms, and hands numbness.
Take Periodic Breaks
For preventing muscle fatigue and maintaining continuous blood flow, frequent breaks are mandatory. Take a break and do some walking and stretching whenever you can or at least once every hour. You should do some simple stretches such as rotation, shoulder shrugs, flexion, lateral flexion, calf raises, ankle pumps, doorway stretch, and lunges.
Stretching frequently can prevent muscle tightness and help relieve pain. Doing stretches regularly can keep your muscles strong, lean, and flexible. Consequently, a longer period of sitting can not put much stress on the muscles. Moreover, doing so can reduce the risks of cardiovascular diseases and improve life expectancy.
Bottom Line
The modern workplace forces people to spend most of their time sitting. However, spending a lot of time sitting can invite a lot of dangerous diseases. In this circumstance, do you just want to flourish your career while waiting for a number of fatal diseases? Well, neither you have to quit your job nor have to bear the risks of getting sick. You just have to follow the tips given in this guide to maintain good health while coursing your career.