Do Not Slouch!

We’ve heard it, we all do. That’s the message that are out there, your back pain and achiness is because of the way you sit, that is slouch. Sitting in a slouch position has been deemed to be “bad” for your health and cause pain/achiness all around your back. While that is not 100% wrong, it is not 100% true.

It is true that sitting slouch will put more “pressure” on your disc compare to sitting straight. If you have a certain back condition which we call “Flexion Intolerant”, then sitting slouch would not be the best thing for your back, it will put more pressure in the disc and can cause you pain. However, for majority of people who are healthy and have no significant disc/back issues, this will not be a problem for you and definitely not the main cause of your achiness/pain while sitting down.

Sit Straight

I bet you’ve heard someone who told you to Sit Straighter, or you might have even said this to someone else. It is definitely not a wrong message, as we all tend to be in a slouched position. However, this might not be the most accurate way if you want to prevent achiness in your back while sitting down

Let me ask you this and give it a try. Try to sit really-really straight and hold that position for an hour, or even 10 minutes. How did you feel? You felt tired and a bit sore don’t you?

How to prevent achiness in your back

Because, the key to preventing achiness and pain while sitting in healthy population is not necessarily the position that you sit in. However, it is the amount of duration you hold in that position. No matter what position/posture you sit in, if you hold it without moving for a certain period of time, it will cause stiffness, achiness and pain on your back. So, you have to keep your back moving

Below are some good tips to maintain the health of your back while sitting:
1. Stand Up and Move
Every 30 minutes or an hour try to stand up and move/walk. Walk to the toilet, stand up and grab a water, stand up and talk to your friends. You could even set a quick alarm every hour to remind you to stand up and move.

2. Move On Your Seat
If standing up and move is too much of a hustle, one thing you can do is to move while you are sitting. You can move your back forwards and backwards, and you can rotate your back sideways as well