Sitting Posture:
Often patients ask, “What is the ideal sitting posture?” – Callaghan and McGill (2001) suggest that no single, ideal sitting posture exists, rather they recommend a variable posture to minimise the risk of tissue overload. The ideal sitting posture is one that changes continually, thus preventing any single tissue accumulating too much irreversible strain.
Given the high numbers of people currently working from home, this video below goes through some helpful pointers of what adjustments you can make to help minimise the cumulative strain through your spinal joints, discs, ligaments and muscles but if you really want to get down to the nitty gritty of the anatomical considerations to improve your sitting posture, check this blog out regarding your pelvic position whilst sitting and your neck position.
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• Keep the low back straight/slightly arched inwards with a good lumbar support.
• Your seat should be adjustable with your hips positioned slightly higher than the knees (tiltable seat pan).
• Rest your arms on an adjustable arm rest so that the elbows are bent at approx. 90° and the shoulders are relaxed. Ensure that the desk is high enough for the arm rests to be positioned underneath.
• Rest your feet comfortably on the floor.
• The centre of the computer monitor should be positioned at nose level with no glare. If you are using a laptop, use a separate laptop stand and separate wireless keyboard and mouse
• The wrists should be relaxed on the keyboard and not tilted in either direction.
• A document holder/writing wedge is beneficial to reduce shoulder and neck strain.
• Break from sitting at least every 20-30 minutes or if this is not possible, vary your posture within your chair regularly .
Our team of chiropractors and massage therapists are on hand to answer any questions you may have, so get in touch today via enquiries@body-motion.co.uk or on +44 (0)20 7374 2272.