Most people spend a large amount of their day sitting. Prolonged sitting can negatively affect back health, but how much it does so, and how seriously it affects you, is largely affected by the type of seating you use. Some seating is more supportive than others. Here are factors to consider when choosing the best seating for your back health.
Material Quality Affects How Much Support You Get
The quality of the material affects how well seating supports your weight over time. Wood, for example, is a good seating material because it’s rigid and provides the support your back needs, but weak or damaged wood can flex where it shouldn’t. The wood types that are most durable for furniture, such as oak and maple, also tend to hold their shape under repeated use.
Seating that bends unevenly changes how your weight rests across your hips. Your lower back may then compensate for that uneven support while you sit.
Seat Height Changes Your Lower-Body Position
Your feet should rest comfortably on the floor when you sit. If seating sits too high, your feet may hang or barely touch the ground. That position puts extra pressure behind your thighs and leaves your legs without firm support.
Seating that’s too low creates a different issue. Your knees rise above your hips, which rotates your pelvis backward and encourages your lower back to round. A height that places your knees near hip level gives your pelvis a more neutral position and reduces the adjustment your back has to make.
Seat Depth Determines Where Your Back Rests
Deep seating may force you to scoot forward before your knees can bend comfortably over the edge. Moving forward takes your back away from the backrest, so you lose the support it was designed to provide.
A seat that’s too shallow leaves less support beneath your thighs and concentrates more of your weight near your hips. The seat should let you rest against the backrest while leaving a small amount of space between the seat edge and the backs of your knees.
Backrest Shape Changes How Your Spine Sits
Your spine doesn’t form one straight vertical line, so a completely flat backrest doesn’t follow its natural shape. A contoured backrest supports the curves of your spine and gives your upper and lower back somewhere to rest.
Too much contouring creates problems of its own. If one section pushes too far into your back, you may move forward to get away from the pressure. The backrest should support your spine without forcing part of your torso into an unnatural position.
Lumbar Support Reduces Lower-Back Slouching
Your lower spine curves slightly inward when you stand with neutral posture. Long periods of sitting can flatten that curve, especially when you sink backward into a seat with little support behind your waist.
Lumbar support fills some of the space between your lower back and the backrest. Without it, your pelvis may roll backward and your lower spine rounds with it. Properly positioned lumbar support keeps that area supported without pressing so firmly that you move away from the backrest.
Seat Firmness Changes How Your Weight Is Distributed
A very soft cushion may seem comfortable at first, but sinking deeply into it changes the position of your hips. When your hips drop below your knees, your pelvis rotates and your lower back has to adjust around that position.
An extremely firm surface creates another concern because it concentrates pressure around your sitting bones and thighs. Enough cushioning should distribute your weight while keeping your hips from sinking far below the rest of your body.
Armrest Height Influences Shoulder and Upper-Back Tension
Armrests give your upper body somewhere to rest part of its weight. Their height determines whether they actually support you or force your upper body into an awkward position.
Armrests that sit too high raise your shoulders. If they’re too low, you may lean sideways or drop one shoulder to reach them. Your elbows should rest comfortably without pulling your shoulders upward or moving your torso to one side.
Backrest Angle Changes How Much Work Your Muscles Do
Sitting completely upright for long periods keeps your back muscles working to hold your torso in position, especially when the seat provides little support behind you.
A slight recline lets the backrest carry some of that load. The angle still needs to keep you close enough to your work or activity that you aren’t reaching forward. Leaning forward repeatedly takes your back away from the support you gained by reclining in the first place.
Seat Width Affects How Freely You Can Sit
Your seat needs enough width for your hips without forcing you into one rigid position. If the sides press against your body, you may shift forward or sit at an angle to create more room.
A very wide seat can create a separate issue when the armrests sit too far apart. Reaching toward one side for support encourages uneven sitting. The best width lets you sit centered while keeping your arms within a comfortable resting position.
Foot Support Changes What Happens Above Your Knees
Your feet provide support for the rest of your seated position. When they rest comfortably on the floor, your legs carry more of their own weight and your hips have an easier time remaining level.
If your feet don’t reach the floor, your legs pull downward from the edge of the seat and increase pressure beneath your thighs. You may also slide forward to reach the floor, which takes your back away from the backrest. A footrest can provide support when the seat itself needs to remain higher.
Choose Seating with Your Back in Mind
Different seating choices can affect back health because the way a seat supports your body changes how your spine is positioned while you sit. Height, depth, firmness, and back support all influence how much strain builds during prolonged sitting.
When you’re choosing seating, look at how well it fits your body and supports your back. Seating that keeps your feet supported, your hips properly positioned, and your spine comfortably supported can reduce unnecessary strain during the time you spend sitting.
This article was written for WHN by Casey Cartwright, a passionate copyeditor highly motivated to provide compelling SEO content in the digital marketing space. Her expertise includes a vast range of industries, from highly technical to consumer and lifestyle-based, with an emphasis on attention to detail and readability.
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References/Sources/Materials provided by:
- https://www.uclahealth.org/medical-services/spine/patient-resources/ergonomics-prolonged-sitting https://www.uclahealth.org/safety/ergonomics/office-ergonomics/chair-setup
- https://health.clevelandclinic.org/heres-how-to-set-up-your-office-to-avoid-aches-pain
- https://www.spine-health.com/wellness/ergonomics/office-chair-choosing-right-ergonomic-office-chair https://health.clevelandclinic.org/health-effects-of-poor-posture
