The Swivel Chair: Why you shouldn’t sit up straight

February 5, 2010 – 8:38 am

Over the years I’ve spent many years sat at a desk; I have also suffered from having a bad lower back on occasion and have learned that what you mother said about sitting up straight isn’t always the best thing to help if you suffer from lower back pain. Due to gravity, when you are sat up straight there is a lot of pressure acting upon your lower back. The best way to alleviate this pressure is to lean back slight, it doesn’t need to be very much but just about 10 degrees past the vertical is enough to significantly reduce the pressure on you back.

If you’ve got the incorrect chair to sit in where you work maintaining this angle can be challenging and this is where the importance of a good office swivel chair comes in to play. If you spend more than four hours a day seated then I would expect your employer to provide you with a well made, adjustable chair and you should to. Your office chair should the very least be adjustable in height, have an adjustable backrest angle and an adjustable lumbar support. If the chair you sit on has an adjustable back angle then you are going to find it very easy to maintain a slightly leaning backwards posture – in return you will feel much more comfortable and hopefully if you do suffer with back pain notice that it has reduced.

It is important to remember that adjusting the lumbar support is just as important as leaning backwards. The lumbar support (lower back support) helps to maintain the natural curve in your back which tends to flatten out when you are seated. The lumbar support should be adjustable in height so whether you are 5’ of 7’ you will be able to get the lumbar support in to the correct position to suit your body.

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