Tips in Choosing Office Chairs to Reduce Back Pain

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Do you have a desk job that requires you to sit at your desk the whole day? If you do, you have probably felt pain in your back, shoulders, or neck at some point in your life that’s due to sitting down too much.

Chiropractors have seen quite a lot of patients who are desk-bound, and they cite some factors responsible to the pain that patients feel. One of these is wrong posture, such as slouching, and another is the type of chair being used.

The following are some recommendations from chiropractors to help you avoid muscle strain resulting from too much sitting.

Sit on an Exercise Ball

Buy an exercise ball—like the one that they use for pilates and other exercises—and use it as your chair for an hour or two a day. Since it has a tendency to roll away (and bring you with it), your body automatically tries to stabilize itself, utilizing deep muscles as a reflex action. Exercise balls are not expensive, they can be used for other exercises, and they are great for strengthening your core, which helps prevent lower back pain.

Use Kneeling Chairs as an Alternative

Kneeling chairs don’t have a back (hence you can’t slouch on it) and the seats are angled forward, which puts you in a somewhat kneeling position. This chair is supposed to improve your posture by aligning your neck, shoulders, and your back, and distributing your weight.

The structure of the kneeling chair promotes a natural curve of your spine, which lessens spinal compression and increase the blood flow in your body. However, chiropractors don’t recommend using this for hours at a time, as kneeling can also strain your knees.

Or Use a Saddle Chair

A saddle chair just looks like a saddle, the one that you put on a horse. With the way it’s done, your position will be just like riding a horse, half-standing and half-sitting.  It means that your legs will just fall down the sides of the chair very naturally, which reduces the stress in you lower back.

Some Tips to Prevent Back Pain

By: US CPSC

Aside from the special chairs mentioned above, chiropractors also shared the following tips to avoid suffering from back pain:

• When buying an office chair, you should choose one where you can easily change your sitting position, because being stuck in one for hours at a time can be hard on your body.
• Make sure that your will allow you to sit straight. Some desk chairs force you to be in a “folded-in position” which can cause the muscles in your chest to shorten.
• Choose a chair as well that you can adjust forward. With this kind of seat, you can roll your pelvis forward and use your spinal extensor muscles which will strengthen your lumbar curvature, improving your body’s alignment.

Aside from choosing the chair that’s best for you, make sure as well to stand up and stretch for about 5 minutes every hour. Walk around as well for a few minutes after 2-3 hours, from your desk to the pantry to make sure that you don’t put too much stress on your back by sitting too long without any physical activity.

If you are suffering from lower or upper back pain in Phoenix-Metro, please visit BluestoneChiropractic.com to schedule an appointment at one of their 15 valleywide locations, including Mesa, Tempe, Scottsdale, Glendale, Happy Valley, and Goodyear chiropractic clinics.

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