Two Tricks to Make That Office Chair/Bed MUCH More Comfortable

 By: Dr. Arnan Sisson

About 99.9999% of back pain cases we see in the clinic are from long-term postural stress (aka putting the back & hips in “bad positions”). By figuring out simple tricks to get back out of these prolonged twisted/stressful positions, we can finally have a back that does not interfere with our office job, our long walks with spouses, and even force us to take loads of pills that we know are unhealthy for us long term.

So, two common positions I see folks placing the back vertebrae and all the surrounding muscles in are a twisted and overly stretched position while sitting.  This could be while you're hanging out on the couch watching your favorite show before bed or even at your nine-to-five office job.

Either way, many folks are sitting with their legs in a crossed position for very long periods. What this does is turn and tilt the hips. Because the hips are so tightly linked to the back, the back soon follows suit. The result is a low level of stress on the spine and supporting muscles.

So, a great habit to start practicing is placing both feet flat on the ground. That aligns the back in a much better position and avoids the small stress that leads up to full-blown sciatica or just plain old back pain.

Another position that can be a sensitive one for folks is in the bed or sitting on the couch. If this makes your back feel worse. Or even produces an increase of pain afterwards then we have to change the stress here.

One simple way is to just place a pillow between the knees while watching TV on the couch or lying in bed. This very small adjustment will reposition the hips and back in a more neutral position. This should help ease the sensitivity long term.

The true secret to having a strong, healthy, and pain-free back is to make the back happy. In particular, happy while at the office, while watching TV on the couch, and even in bed. All of the positions you spend a lot of time in are the first places to look if you have back troubles.

If you’d like to see me do a demo of the above modifications, then feel free to head over to our blog at montrossphysicaltherapy.com or even our Facebook page at (Sisson & Associates- The Physical Therapy and Wellness Experts of Montross).

We also have a Free 9 Tip Report that contains the above strategies and many more top adjustments anyone with back pain can make to get one step closer to avoiding surgery and back to a happy active life again!

To get your Free Back Report, either call us at (804) 493-0002 to get your copy shipped to your front step free of charge. Or click here to download it today!

That’s it for today, remember movement is medicine!