Is sitting connected with back health?

30.08.2018

In Finland, 800,000 people suffer from back pains every day.

More money is spent on painkillers than on developing the working environment.

Painkillers have many side effects, the worst being an easily developed addiction, and the destruction of the intestinal microflora. As we all know, painkillers don’t prevent back pains, but their sales is good business, just like the 20,000 back operations each year.

Sitting causes back pains, i.e. sitting on a traditional chair on which one inevitably ends up sitting with the back rounded, in an unnatural position. This stretches the ligaments between vertebrae (poor posture, hypermobile joints), causes one-sided and thus degrading pressure on the disks, and tightens the soft tissues of the back. All this weakens the circulation of blood and lymph so that the degeneration of all the back tissues begins or speeds up.

Hundreds of thousands of Finns have got rid of back pains when they have started sitting on a two-part saddle chair, in a riding-like position that is ideal for the back, with hips and knees in 135 degree angles. The resulting natural posture also improves cerebral circulation (relaxed neck muscles), deepens breathing, promotes bowel activity, and enhances the health of genital area and pelvic organs.

The situation is further improved if one uses sitting-friendly clothes that are loose around the pelvis, stands for about 10-20% of the time, moves whenever possible (e.g. “Walk & Talk”), adjusts the monitors to the eye level, and uses cushioned support under elbows – ergonomics is good and there are no more back pains.