You Don’t Know Sit
I mean you don’t know how to sit.
In this video I talk about two quick and easy things you can do to sit in a better position to help avoid low back pain. Nowadays we do a huge amount of sitting, whether it’s at work, at home, in the car. We tend to sit a lot. More than we were designed to sit.
Posture Can Contribute to Low Back Pain
This unfortunately can often cause some discomfort and tightness, in the spine. I wouldn’t expect this to fix all back problems, and I would recommend you get checked out by your physician or physical therapist if you’re having a back issue, but these can be some nice habits to get into.
If you sat five minutes out of your day, you could sit on your head and it probably wouldn’t matter. But the combination of sitting at work, on the commute to work, and when you get home to watch Netflix, can really add up to a lot of sitting.
(wow, that is some great smile)
The first tip is easy: Get up. So if you have an option for a standing desk…great. I like the ones you can easily switch from sitting in a chair, not a stool, to a standing position. And in most cases I wouldn’t want people to spend all day standing either. But the option to switch back and forth is ideal. If you’re not one of the lucky ones and don’t have a standing desk (you might want to ask yourself what you did to piss off your boss so bad that they don’t want to get you a standing desk) it will be ok. You can still get up and take a lap around your desk every 20 minutes. It will seem strange at first, and may be difficult to get into the habit in the beginning. I recommend setting an alarm on your phone to remind you to get up.
The second tip is almost as easy, and involves a pillow. You can use a pillow from home, or if you prefer a more professional look you can get some online. I recommend that the pillow is relatively thin and not too big and bulky. The one I like is about $20. Start out with the pillow just below your shoulder blades. This way your back is supported. Feel free to move the pillow up or down a little, but it shouldn’t be right behind your low back in the majority of cases.
Figuring out ways to decrease the strain on your neck and back when at work can make a really big difference, and sometimes something simple can help. If you have any questions shoot me an email at jeremy@advancedpts.com or give me a call at 720-357-4079.