Start by standing in front of your sofa and push your bottom towards the edge of the backrest. Once you're in a sitting position, make sure your back is upright rather than hunched over. Lean back on the backrest with relaxed shoulders and don't keep your neck in an uncomfortable position.
The ideal seating position for your posture is with your feet flat on the floor and your back fully supported by the sofa or some cushions. In this position, the body is in perfect alignment with your head in line with your shoulders and spine and your hips level to your knees.
If you've got backache after lying on your sofa it's because the soft upholstery encourages you to lounge, leaving your spine in a 'C' shape. This can add an excessive amount of pressure on the vertebrae and overstretch the discs, ligaments and muscles that support it, which can eventually lead to chronic backache.
Sitting positions to avoid
A person can minimize the risk of bad posture and back health by avoiding: sitting slumped to one side with the spine bent. keeping the knees, ankles, or arms crossed. dangling or not properly supporting the feet.
Low back pain that gets worse with sitting may indicate a herniated lumbar disc (one of the discs in the lower part of the back). This is because certain positions of the body can change the amount of pressure that an out-of-place disc can press on a nerve.
Many people think they need to sit up completely straight but research suggests sitting in a reclined position is actually better for the spine as it reduces pressure. Back in 2006, academics in Canada and Scotland found that reclining by at least 135 degrees was effective in relieving back pain.
Tips to relax in a good posture on a sofa
Put a small cushion behind your lower back to keep your 'spine in line' and maintain or restore the natural curve in your low back. Put cushions under your knees to help support them in a slightly flexed position. This can take the strain of tight leg muscles off your back.
Despite this, health professionals are increasingly advising that sitting on the floor helps to maintain the natural curvature of the spine and so helps people sit more upright and improve posture.
The main cause of back pain in bed is poor posture, either from how a person sits at work or how they sleep at night. Between the vertebrae in the spine are intervertebral discs, which rehydrate at night (this is why we are taller in the morning, and part of the reason that the elderly lose height as they get older).
Always opt for a solid steel or hard-wood frame. Better yet, look for sofas with medium-firm memory foam cushions that'll provide lumbar support and encourage good posture . Reclining Sofas – Many new sofas have recliners built-in, which takes the pressure off your spine and helps eliminate slouching .
If you're experiencing back pain when sitting, your impulse may be to lie down and then try to slowly progress back to sitting, says Dr. Atlas. But this is the wrong approach. You should lie down to relieve the pain, but the goal should be not to return to sitting, but rather to regain your ability to stand and move.
Adding a pillow under your pelvis can take some of the pressure off your spine and nerves and alleviate that nerve pain you may be feeling. The Cleveland Clinic also suggests a body pillow if you're a stomach sleeper, as this puts you in a more neutral position.
In any conversation around the best office chairs for back pain, two brands almost always come up: Herman Miller and Steelcase. Both of these are great, but there are also excellent ergonomic chairs with much more approachable price tags.
Ergonomic office chairs are best for back pain. Experts suggest looking for a model with adjustable height, recline, armrests, and lumbar support.
Research has found that reclining your chair puts the least stress on your spine when it is reclined to about 135 degrees and may reduce your risk of back pain. The ability of riser recliner chairs to move to this position with ease makes them a good choice for people who sit for long periods.
Sciatica refers to pain that travels along the path of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve travels from the lower back through the hips and buttocks and down each leg. Sciatica most often occurs when a herniated disk or an overgrowth of bone puts pressure on part of the nerve.
The most common cause of spinal stenosis is osteoarthritis, the gradual wear and tear that happens to your joints over time. Spinal stenosis is common because osteoarthritis begins to cause changes in most people's spines by age 50. That's why most people who develop symptoms of spinal stenosis are 50 or older.
It can be due to reduced blood flow, tight muscles and ligaments, fluid pooled in the body's lower extremities, or pins and needles sensations in the feet.
Even laying on your side is appreciably more stress than laying flat. At the other end of the spectrum, sitting while leaning forward and lifting weight puts the most strain across your back. When dealing with significant lower back pain, keep this in mind.