Sitting in a regular office chair all day while being on the phone or typing at your computer can be hard on your back and neck. A good solution would be a reclining office chair that lets you sit in a more comfortable position with a sigh of relief.
The least stressful way for your back is to keep it straight (with the occasional lean backward) when you are sitting down. When you’re standing up, make sure to keep your spine straight as well by keeping your shoulders pulled back and avoiding leaning forward or sideways; this keeps most people from having neck pain. Finally, if you must bend over, don’t round your shoulders (keep them wide). But even these small things will not help if you spend hours each day seated in a regular office chair.
When you sit for long periods of time, your lower back is stressed because it has to be held up for this whole time. Sitting all day also causes the front part of your body to slump forward while your pelvis tilts backward. This can cause tension in your hips and lower back that may lead to chronic pain or injury. Your spine should never curve into an “S” shape while sitting, but if you sit too much, it will become habitual, which can strain your muscles and nerves. But how do you get rid of the “S” curve?
Using a reclining office chair can help reduce stress on the lower back by taking pressure off the discs between each vertebra (which in turn relieves pressure on the discs). A reclining office chair lets you lean back while working at your desk or even let you lie down.
It is important to realize that everyone is built differently, so what works for one person may not work for another. The following are some things to consider when looking for a reclining office chair that will help decrease lower back strain:
1) First, make sure that the seat of your new reclining office chair is no more than two inches wider than your hips’ widest part. If it’s too wide, it will force you into an unnatural posture by forcing your legs together and can cause pain in the inner thighs. You should be able to sit with both of your hip bones, even with the front of the seat.
2) Your reclining office chair should allow your knees to bend at a slight angle (this is also important for circulation). If they can’t, then you’ll need a different reclining office chair. When your legs are bent, it takes some weight off the lower back and allows you to maintain better posture as well as helps with blood circulation.
3) The best position for your lower back is with it in a neutral or “flat” position (rather than arched up or down), so it is recommendable that your seat pan accommodates this unless you opt for a more traditional desk chair design. This greatly reduces strain on the low-back muscles.
In conclusion, when you are shopping for a reclining office chair, it is advisable to shop around. You can find great deals in furniture stores or online.
