How to Sit in a Chair all Day with Comfort

We spend a large portion of our day in the sitting position; yet why is it so uncomfortable to sit all day? Unfortunately, the human body is not designed to remain permanently in one place. It is designed to constantly move, so any prolonged sitting is naturally going feel uncomfortable. To overcome this problem we need learn how to balance our body on our skeletal frame, for allowing muscle relaxation and comfort. 

We spend a large portion of our day in the sitting position; yet how many people actually say they feel comfortable sitting all day in a chair? How can we overcome the problem of prolonged sitting and still remain comfortable? Unfortunately, our body is not designed to remain permanently still.  The human body is designed to move, so any prolonged sitting is naturally going to make us feel uncomfortable.

Most of us understand that to maintain a healthy spine we need to learn to sit up straight. Yet how can anyone to sit up straight all day?  The answer is simple; we need to learn to use balance in our body. The spine then remains in a vertical, but relaxed state. I call this position a “relaxed hold”, because all the muscles that surround the spine remain comfortable and relaxed.  No tension is required and once you become accustomed to sitting in this position; you will be able to remain in it for as long as you want throughout the day.

What about the use of an ‘ergonomic’ chair, would this make the task of sitting easier?  The answer is that chairs are not ergonomic. It is the way that you sit in a chair that makes the position ‘ergonomic’.  Ergonomic is Latin for ‘work’.  Your body cannot be moulded to sit correctly in a chair.  Your body needs to be trained to position yourself correctly in a chair that needs work until it becomes a habit.

Let me describe my background for understanding this topic further. As a teenager following a gym accident, X-rays showed that I had one leg longer than the other by 2 centimetres. This is common in tall females and results in a condition known as postural scoliosis of the spine. It means that instead of the spine being vertically straight, there is an abnormal lateral curve in the lumbar region. This creates a weakening in the joint spaces of the lumbar vertebral area and can precipitate an impingement on the sciatic nerve, when lifting anything heavy. In my youth, this created major limitations to my practise as an Occupational Therapist, when lifting heavy patients and using backpacks for travelling.

Now, as a middle-aged woman, learning to control the symptoms of the postural scoliosis has been a life-time of investigation, for understanding control of the problem outside of the medical model. It is not rocket science to understand that the human body needs successful balance, in order to move for correct alignment. Any movement of one part will naturally have an impact on the other parts for balance.

Let’s look at tree, as an example. The tree trunk is the spine that holds the branches and the leaves of the tree. The base of the trunk is attached at the ground, for the roots to grow downwards to gain water and nutrients from the earth. Similarly our body, like a tree has a spinal column, from which is attached our upper limbs and head. Then from the base of the spine, we have the lower limbs that are attached to the spine through our pelvic region. The central core area of the tree is the ground; which provides stability so that roots to grow downwards. The central core area of the body is the pelvic region, where we balance our body for using our upper and lower limbs.

When we sit on our pelvic bones and feel them touching the base of the chair, our central weight runs down the spine column to our pelvic bones. The position is made easier, if your ankles, hips and knees are all at 90 degrees and your feet are about one foot apart for stability. Test this position by lifting up your left pelvic bone and placing your left hand underneath it. Repeat this procedure on the other hand and move your back until you can feel your full body weight travelling down your spine to your pelvis. Remove your hands from under your pelvic bones. This is the position that you want to remain in. It is not an uncomfortable, but it is difficult to sustain without practise. Eventually you will no longer require a back rest to lean on in your chair, as this is the safest method of keeping your back straight for any prolonged sitting.