If you read my last article you will know that I am not a big fan of high heels (they hurt my feet) as long term and freuent use can cause serious biomechanical imbalances! long term deformities and chronic "ain# $he ne%t modern in&ention to go on the cho""ing block is'##the chair# $he chair has been around for a &ery! &ery long time in one form or another# (" until the )* th century they were reser&ed mostly for the "ri&ileged as a dis"lay of wealth! but since +enaissance times the chair has become a more "o"ular instrument used by the masses to rela%# ,owadays! with the creation of modern technology such as cars! com"uters and tele&isions! we sit in chairs more than e&er# -or many "eo"le their days may look a little like this.
If this day is anything like yours then you may be sitting for u" to )/ hours a day# $his is belie&ed not only to contribute to the rising rates of obesity! cardio&ascular diseases and early death! but it is one of the leading causes of headaches and "ain in the back! neck and shoulders# So what is the problem with sitting ? If we look at someone from the side in normal standing "osition! they will ideally ha&e nice 0S1 sha"ed s"ine2 with an arched lower (lumbar) s"ine! rounded mid (thoracic) s"ine and arched neck (cer&ical s"ine)# 3 "erfect "osture reuires the ears! shoulders! hi"s! knees and ankles to be "erfectly aligned from to" to bottom# $his allows the body to mo&e in an e4cient! "ain free way# 3ny de&iation from this "erfect "osture is is usually caused by muscle imbalances and 5oint restrictions# $hese are often caused by ado"ting sustained bad "ostures o&er a number of years# 6hen someone sits in a chair they tend to sit on their tailbone (sacrum)# $his "ushes the "el&is backwards! causing the lumbar s"ine to round! the thoracic s"ine to become rounder and the neck to arch in order to allow you to look straight forward at the road7com"uter screen# $his is a &ery di4cult "osition for the body to sustain and o&er time it causes some muscles to become shortened! tight and hy"eracti&e and some o&erstretched and weak# $his e&entually results in 5oints being "ulled out of that "erfect alignment mentioned abo&e# By sustaining these unnatural "ostures day in day out for u" to )/ hours a day you are "re8dis"osing yourself to a whole world of "ain# $his "ain can easily be remedied by sim"le ad5ustments to your sitting "osture and by not sitting for "rolonged "eriods of time# Musical statues 3s you read this I want you to free9e your body in e%actly the "osition it is now as if we are "laying musical statues'#don1t mo&e a muscle# ,ow obser&e your "osture# :ou are "robable reading this article on a tablet! la"to"! or PC and I can almost guarantee that you are in a &ery similar "osture to the "icture abo&e# :our lower and mid back rounded! your neck either o&er arched or you are looking down and your shoulders are "robably coming forward# If you are! and you su;er from headaches or any "roblems with your back! neck or shoulders! then sitting is likely contributing to this# <ery often these "roblems can be alle&iated by following these two sim"le measures. )# =et u" and mo&e around e&ery >? 8@? minutes ># Abser&e good "osture when sitting '#no slouching If you try these and are still e%"eriencing "ain! you are likely going to reuire a "ostural assessment to identify muscle imbalances#