Shoulders hunched up at a (writing) table that is too high, left leg crossed over to the right – or the other way around, head pushed far forward, as close as possible to the laptop. It is not surprising that this posture leads to discomfort after a while. Who doesn’t know the twinge in the back or a tense neck? The lumbar spine and the shoulder-neck area are particularly affected by these incorrect postures and the one-sided strain.
SITTING RISK UNDERESTIMATED: IS HEALTH BECOMING A SECONDARY MATTER?
One thing is clear: sitting for a long period of time is bad for your health. In addition to ortopedic complaints, the risk of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases also rises with increasing “sitting time”. As a creature of habit, people find it difficult to be more active in their usual daily structure, because routines are often already “burnt in”. Without firmly scheduled yoga classes, fitness courses or tennis appointments, we forget to take time in between for movement and balance. Neck tension and back pain, the body’s warning signals for unhealthy behavior are only noticed when they start to distract us from what we are doing.
WHAT IS THE RIGHT WAY TO SIT?
Long periods of static strain in an unergonomic posture are the greatest challenge to our musculoskeletal system. A straight, upright posture ensures an even load on the spine and activates our back muscles. Nevertheless, even this kind of sitting eventually leads to discomfort, the muscles tire and become overloaded. It is better to change your posture more often, to stand up in between, to walk around or to alternate between sitting and standing. Every movement, every lolling and stretching relieves the strain on the intervertebral discs and activates their metabolism. Regular active breaks also help to reduce the strain on our bodies.
THE ERGONOMICALLY CORRECT SITTING POSITION
An important basis for a back-friendly, pain-free sitting is the ergonomic set-up of the setting. A rule of thumb is the practical “axis check”. This means: are both feet placed flat on the floor, are the hip and knee joints, as well as the elbows bent about 90° and is the monitor set up so that the top line of the screen is slightly below the visual axis?
But what can you do if neither the table nor the chair can be adjusted individually? Here are a few little tricks you can use to help yourself:
- The chair: If you don’t have an adjustable desk chair, there are two things you can do: If the chair is too high and your feet are not properly planted on the floor, a small elevation such as a stool, a box or similar can help. If the knee and hip joints are at a good angle (about 90°), the feet should have a firm footing. If the chair is too low, a cushion (not too soft) or a folded blanket can flexibly raise your sitting position.
- The backrest: If only an ordinary chair is available, such as a kitchen chair with a fixed wooden backrest, cushions of garden furniture or a sofa blanket can provide more seating comfort and convenience while supporting the spine.
- The table: If the table is altogether too high, your own sitting height can be raised by adjusting the chair and foot position (as described above). However, if the table is too low, it is advisable to organize an underlay to raise the entire work surface. The easiest way to do this is by placing something underneath the table feet.
- The height of the screen: If the screen or laptop can only be placed in such a way that it is necessary to look down too, an elevating support for it should be found – whether a box, a thick book, an old parcel or a storage crate. Anything that is available can be converted for this purpose. If only a laptop is available, it is worthwhile to connect an external keyboard and a mouse and to place the whole device in an elevated position. This allows the arms and hands to move more freely and in line with the axis. This relieves the strain on the shoulders and neck and prevents the head from being pushed forward unconsciously.
- Sitting posture: As mentioned above, make sure that you do not remain in one and the same position for hours. Get up in between, move around and switch to an improvised standing desk for a short time. Shelves, chests of drawers or even an attachment for the desk are suitable for this.