Sitting without a Backrest is Ergonomic Sitting

Summary

Ergonomic sitting is only used when you are performing work-related activities in an ergonomic chair. It means that your back is positioned in a relaxed, but supported position, so that you can concentrate on the work-related task. Ergonomic sitting does not actually require a back rest. Your back is quite capable of NOT using a back rest all day, because you are not using any muscles to hold the back vertically in an ergonomic sitting position. It is the position you use when sitting on a bicycle without a backrest.

Sitting without a Backrest is Ergonomic Sitting

We love leaning back in chairs to ‘chill out’ or relax and have a coffee or a tea!

 

Yet when do we learn to strengthen our backs for promoting a good strong standing or sitting posture? I don’t actually think anyone realizes that our backs need to be trained, for promoting good postural performance in our daily lives.

 

Ergonomic is the term used to describe the relationship between the human, the equipment and the environment for productive activity, which historically was paid employment, which protects our performance activities from injuries in the work environment.

 

Today the term has become more inclusive to other productive activities such as in the home; as well as other environment, that reduces injuries and improves productivity. The most common injury is low back pain. It makes sense, because this is part of our skeletal body that is easily damaged, unless we are taught how to protect our spine from an early age.

 

Sadly we are not taught in childhood, that if we carry too much weight on our backs; we will end up with chronic back pain, for the rest of our lives. I still see students running around with cheap backpacks on their backs, heavily laden with books and laptop computers. Low back pain has become a regular complaint of our daily life.

 

It doesn’t have to be that way, if we learn to strengthen our backs; by not constantly depending on back rest for supporting our backs when sitting. Your back is perfectly capable of sitting upright without a backrest all day. I no longer have a backrest on my computer chair. I took it off one day, because I felt I never used it. . Just don’t do what I did, when I forgot I had removed the backrest; I leant back to have a stretch and fell off the seat!

 

Your body should be in an active mode for productive activity, when sitting ergonomically. Ergonomic sitting is not a sedentary position, because your body needs to be kept in constant movement.

 

You have two ways to think of movement, when sitting ergonomically:

• Your central core is in your pelvic bones that are seated on the chair or stool for stability to your body.
• The spine is stabilized, by placing all your body weight on to your pelvic bones, so that you are able to move your feet for balance and your hands for productive performance, while you are sitting.
• By moving both your hands and feet, or both together, you are able to change the balance of weight distribution in your central core area. This allows oxygenated blood to continue replenishing the areas that have been compressed with postural pressure.

 

Ergonomic sitting is used in performing productive activities, such as word processing in an ergonomic chair. Ideally ergonomic sitting means that you’re back is in a relaxed position on your pelvic bones, so you are able to move your lower limbs for balance and comfort; plus your upper limbs for productive performance activities.