Tips for healthy sitting in the workplace
Steelcase ergonomic specialists, in tandem with Steven
Reinecke, M.S.B.E., Innovative Ergonomic Solutions, report the following tips to help maintain
healthy posture and minimize back pain when you sit for long periods of time at work:
Move your back. Experts say the
spine needs to move to help muscle ligaments and discs stay healthy. Many chairs today
encourage overall body movement, not spinal motion. Exercise your back from time to time by
taking deep breaths or by arching your back. It is also recommended that you continually
change your posture from time to time allowing for nutrients to flow to the discs in your
back.
Try not to hunch. You tend to
hunch when you lean forward and when you lean back, letting your lower back sag against the
chair. Hunching can weaken the walls of your spinal discs and strains your back ligaments.
Recline. If you sit for long
periods of time, reclining is healthier for your back than sitting upright. Reclining
transfers some of your weight of your upper body to the backrest allowing your weight to
become more evenly distributed. It increases the distance between your pelvis and your rib
cage, allowing for easier breathing, which is especially important when you're stressed.
Reclining also helps you to maintain the natural shape of spine and the pelvis, bringing you
closer to the standing position your body favors and reducing the amount of force on the discs
in your back.
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Reclining also helps you to maintain the natural shape of spine and the pelvis,
bringing you closer to the standing position your body favors and reducing the amount of force
on the discs in your back.
Listen to your body. Your back
sends you signals. When you notice that you're wiggling in your chair, take a break
stand
up or stretch.Adjust your chair.
Nine out of every 10 people who sit in adjustable chairs never adjust them, mostly because
they find the process too difficult. If you can
adjust your chair, do so.
... While you're sitting in it. Just
as you adjust your car seat immediately after you settle into it, the time to adjust your
office or desk chair is when you first sit down. If you sit for long stretches, your body's
needs for support may change. You should check your chair's adjustments from time to time.
Allow the Chair to support your
back. Your back should be in contact with your chair's backrest at all
times.
Based in Grand Rapids, MI, Steelcase Inc. (NYSE:SCS)
is the world's largest designer and manufacturer of office furnishings, and is committed to
providing high performance work environments that help people work more effectively. |
