The best sitting posture

TL;DR – Quick Guide

Sitting is often necessary, but sitting poorly can lead to pain, poor posture, and long-term health issues. Slouching or using soft, low, or backward-sloping seats puts unnecessary strain on your body.

The best sitting posture involves:

• Using a firm chair or stool (wooden or metal)
• Keeping knees slightly lower than hips
• Avoiding deep, soft, or sloped-back seats
• Using a seat wedge to maintain proper posture
• Holding screens and books at chest level rather than looking down

Bad posture while sitting can contribute to pain, fatigue, and poor circulation. Take frequent movement breaks to avoid prolonged sitting and improve overall health.

You may have read recently that sitting is very bad for you. This is totally true; however, sitting badly is even worse! 

Sitting in a slouched or slumped position for too long creates a lot of stress in your body and results in pain and worsening of your condition. Not moving for long periods of time also puts a strain on your organs. So, avoiding prolonged sitting when you can, is an important contributor to a healthy life.

When you do sit, try using a firm (wooden or metal) dining chair or stool with your feet flat on the floor. The height of the seat is vitally important. Too low and you will slouch; too high and you will create excess strain on your lower back and pelvis. The edge of the seat will also press into the backs of your legs.

To get the correct height of the seat our rule is to keep your knees slightly lower than your hips. For most people, the average 45 cm high chair is about right.

Also, any seat that is too soft, or with a seat base that slopes backward, will make you slouch so avoid these like the plague. This is difficult because this type of seat is everywhere! To help your body be most comfortable, we recommend always using a seat wedge, which will tip you forward. This makes you more upright, saving you lots of energy, decompressing your organs and helping your body work properly. We have our own wedges made here in Birmingham because the ones commonly found online are way too soft and do not tip you forward properly.

You should also get one for your car, because car seat bases always slope back, making long journeys tiring and uncomfortable.

This also means that a low or soft sofa makes you slouch and is slowly injuring you and causing problems. Over the course of time, sofas literally kill. It’s worse if you also eat, or work on a sofa because you are looking down at the same time. As we said previously, looking down for long periods is very bad for your body so do not do this if you value your health. This means that you need to hold your book, phone, iPad, etc about chest height rather than low down.

Most modern sofas are very poorly designed and made with cheap foam that deforms and squashes; the seats are too deep, making you sit back and lift your feet off the floor (very bad). Sitting up in bed with your feet out in front of you is just as bad – don’t do it!

Stick to the firm dining chair or stool with the wedge and you will do your body a favour. Some people will not feel comfortable with this way of sitting and in these cases, it means that their bodies are very locked up and need immediate help. This will allow them to also enjoy the benefits of sitting properly.

Remember to take regular breaks when sitting as your body needs to move to work properly. This is why standing work desks are only somewhat better than sitting ones for your health. We, as a species are meant to be moving most of the day, every day. Simple movements like walking help circulation, organ function, general fitness, mood, mobility and much more.

We cannot emphasize enough, how much benefit you will give yourself and your family, by following this one piece of advice about sitting. These small changes will greatly reduce the stress your body is under, which will improve your pain and function and help you to live longer. Remember, posture affects everything about you!

We are the chiropractor Birmingham alternative you have been looking for. Get in touch with us today to see how we could transform your life too.

Key Takeaways

• Sitting poorly is worse than sitting too much. A slouched or slumped posture puts strain on your spine, organs, and muscles, leading to pain and long-term health issues.
• Chair choice matters. The best option is a firm dining chair or stool with feet flat on the ground and knees slightly lower than hips.
• Soft, deep, and sloped-back chairs should be avoided. Sofas and car seats often force poor posture, making them a common cause of back pain and discomfort.
• Using a seat wedge can help. A firm seat wedge tilts your pelvis forward, encouraging an upright posture that reduces strain and improves body function.
• Movement is essential. Sitting still for long periods restricts circulation and muscle activity. Regular movement, standing breaks, and walking throughout the day improve overall health.

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