Wellness.MA
Wellness.Massachusetts

PROPER SITTING TECHNIQUES

Dr. Scott Fuller, D.C., C.C.S.T.

Much spinal injury and trauma is a result of cumulative wear and tear postures and the way we use our body each day. If daily posture and ergonomics are improved you can reduce tremendous stresses on your spinal discs, joints, and associated tissues and muscles.

Discs thrive on motion. Prolonged sitting increases pressure on discs and decreases motion, which results in increased disc wear and eventually pain. Most of you have probably already figured out that the longer you sit the more uncomfortable you become in your neck, upper back and lower back. There are two main reasons for increased disc and joint irritation when you sit. First, there is an increase in pressure on the disc when sitting. For example, when you are lying down, there is approximately 25 pounds per square inch (psi) of pressure on your disc. This is why many people with acute disc problems tend to feel somewhat better when lying down. When standing, there is about 100psi of pressure on the discs or four times that of lying. When sitting the pressure increases to 150psi or six times that of lying. Sitting and bending forward increases disc pressure all the way to 185psi, or seven times the pressure when lying down. Second, when you are sitting you are not moving the discs and joints. This lack of motion and flexibility does not stimulate the nerve motion sensors (mechanoreceptors and muscle spindles), adversely affecting nerve traffic to and from the spinal tissues. Third, discs do not have a blood supply. They rely on transferring nutrients and waste products via osmosis, which is absorption of materials from surrounding fluids. This activity of osmosis is motion and flexibility dependent. With prolonged sitting the ability of discs to absorb water and nutrients and eliminate waste decreases.

Many of you have jobs where you have to sit for prolonged periods. Because we cannot avoid all sitting, a different strategy needs to be employed to reduce disc trauma and breakdown. I have several useful ideas you can utilize to reduce the sitting disc irritation and pain.
1.Frequent breaks – frequent breaks are one of the most beneficial things you can do to decrease disc stress. Standing up, even for a brief moment, can really help decrease the sitting stress on your spine. Taking longer breaks with some walking is even better. If your workday requires eight hours in front of your computer, I suggest getting out of your chair every 15 minutes, even if it is for 5-10 seconds. You will feel significantly better throughout the day and you may even end up being more productive.
2.Exercises – (To be performed under the guidance of your health care practitioner) While sitting in your chair (or standing) you can take a 20-second break every 30 minutes and perform 5 spinal twists, 5 side bends, and 1 spinal extension. If you dare, you can even lie on the floor and do 5 knee rolls! I recommend doing 1 spinal extension exercise every 15 minutes This spinal extension exercise, if done regularly, will relieve neck, shoulder and middle back stress.

Car

Long car trips require frequent breaks. I recommend a five-minute break every hour to reduce disc and joint irritation. I do realize that when many of you are taking a car trip, you don?t want to take these breaks so you get to your destination faster. Wouldn?t it be better to arrive at your destination five or ten or fifteen minutes later but feeling comfortable and energetic rather than stiff, tight, sore and grumpy? I think these breaks are worth it. Plan ahead and leave a bit earlier so you can take these breaks. At each stop I recommend a brisk walk for two minutes, and a few of the twists, bends, and extensions.

Prolonged Sitting

On plane trips you might consider an isle seat so you can get up frequently for standing and stretching breaks. When I attend post-graduate classes I will often sit near the back of the room so I can stand as frequently as I want without disturbing others.

Sitting aerobics

There are other ways to increase flexibility and motion while sitting. I call this strategy ?sitting aerobics.? We tend to naturally squirm when sitting for a long time at the movies for instance. I recommend performing sitting aerobics well before you get sore and uncomfortable. You can stretch your lower spine front and back by first pushing your chest and stomach out followed by pushing your lower back into the seat. When you push your lower back into the seat, squeeze your abdominal muscles at the same time and this will increase the efficiency of this movement. Another stretch you can do is a side-to-side stretch. You can shift your body weight from the left to the right, back and forth. Pushing one foot into the floor, squeezing your thigh muscles and lifting one side of your pelvis slightly off your seat can increase the efficiency of this stretch. Then push with the other leg, contracting your thigh muscles, and lift the other side of the pelvis off the seat.
Attention needs to be paid to the ergonomics of your work or school station. Computer monitors tend to be too low and should be placed ABOVE eye level to promote slight extension of the head and neck, which will help counteract the chin-down posture as you look at your keyboard, paperwork, telephone, etc. Monitors placed at eye level are not high enough to provide this benefit. Paperwork should also be raised off the desk surface whenever possible. Using an angled, drafting style board or clipping paperwork to a higher position is helpful. When reading try to hold the items at eye level rather than holding them low and flat. If some items are too heavy to hold, such as textbooks, they can be propped up at an angle by leaning them on other books or pillow. Changing the organization of your workstation every two months can help disperse everyday stresses on your body. Consider changing the position of work items such as the telephone, writing surface, keyboard, mouse, monitor, and calculator.

For additional information regarding ergonomics, posture, and other strategies to keep your spine and nervous system healthy, please see Dr. Fuller's upcoming book or call Fuller Chiropractic at (781) 933-3332

Dr. Scott Fuller, D.C., C.C.S.T., has a private Chiropractic practice in Woburn, MA.
He can be reached at:
Phone: (781) 933-3332

Dr. Fuller has a Cable T.V. show in Woburn and Stoneham, MA, where he discusses a variety of health and Chiropractic related topics, including STRESSBUSTING.

His practice specializes in injury treatment, sports injuries and peak performance, acute and chronic pain syndromes, neurological disorders, and child care for ADD, ADHD, learning disabilities, bedwetting, ear infections, asthma, allergies, and family wellness care.

Dr. Fuller conducts workshops in and out of his office. If you are interested in having Dr. Fuller speak to your group, organization, or company, please call his office.

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