A common reason for back pain is poor posture while seated. Sitting, our most natural activity per day forces the vertebrae to crunch down onto each other and strain it. Sitting in a slouched or hunched over position for those long workdays is the major cause of chronic back pain.
Since sitting is inevitable in our lives, the ultimate solution to alleviate your back pain is to find the best chair that helps nurture a good posture in the office or at home. In this article, we will explain:
- Why sitting too much is bad for your health
- The consequences of long sitting in a bad chair
- How to improve poor sitting posture with a good chair
- Best Chair for Back Pain: How Tech & Q Can Help?
How Much Time Does an Average Person Spend on Sitting Per Day?
Many people spend the majority of their day sitting down as they tend to sit when commuting, working in an office or studying, and relaxing at home. Since daily computer usage has increased steadily over the years, this adds to more seated time a day.
Research done by the Washington University, School of Medicine (Public Health Science Division) states that: In 2003, 29% of adults reported using computers outside of work or school for at least an hour per day. But by 2016, that increased to 50%. Overall, extra computer use is likely the force that will drive us toward more prolonged sitting.
So, how much time do you really spend on sitting per day? Let’s do some calculation:
- You work 9 to 5, or at least 8 hours a day
- You also spend 2 hours a day travelling to and from work (driving or taking a bus/train)
- Another 10 to 15 minutes on the toilet
- 1 hour for lunch and at least 1 hour for dinner
- You turn on your TV and relax at home for at least 1 hour before you go to bed
That’s a minimum of 15 hours a day you sit down! Even if you stand while commuting, you’re still sitting for at least 13 hours a day.
Moreover, as technology advances, we now live in the age of Netflix, streaming video games, and endless movie options. You may not know that we are spending a dangerous amount of time sitting for prolonged periods.
That’s a minimum of 15 hours a day you sit down! Even if you stand while commuting, you’re still sitting for at least 13 hours a day.
Three Consequences of Long Sitting on a Bad Chair
Sitting is such a paradox. You sit down to rest after a long day, but extended sitting induces stiff neck, tight shoulders, and back pain! Is just sitting around really that bad?
Research has linked sitting for long periods of time with several health concerns. They include obesity and a cluster of conditions like increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol levels. Any extended sitting — such as at a desk, behind a wheel, or in front of a screen — can be harmful.
Living a sedentary lifestyle can be dangerous to your health for 3 multiple reasons:
Back pain and hip pain
Your hips and back will not support you as well if you sit for long periods. Sitting causes your hip flexor muscles to shorten, which can lead to problems with your hip joints.
Sitting for long periods can also cause problems with your back, especially if you consistently sit with poor posture or don’t use an ergonomically designed chair or workstation.
Poor posture may also cause poor spine health such as compression in the discs in your spine, leading to premature degeneration, which can be very painful.
Cardiovascular disease
Sitting for long periods has been linked to heart disease. One study found that men who watch more than 23 hours of television a week have a 64 % higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease than men who only watch 11 hours of television a week.
Some experts say that people who are inactive and sit for long periods have a 147 % higher risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke.
Stiff neck and shoulders
As with your legs, butt, and lower back, your shoulders and neck will also suffer from prolonged sitting. This is especially true if you’re hunched over looking at a computer screen.
Too much sitting overall and prolonged periods of sitting also seem to increase the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Clearly, less sitting and more moving overall contribute to better health. However, finding the right ergonomic chair that adopts your body to sit correctly, is an easy solution for maintaining a good posture and a healthy back and spine.
Related Article: What Are the Symptoms of Sitting Too Much? 3 Guidelines of Good Posture in Office Chair
Good Sitting Posture in a Chair
Before picking the best chair for back pain, it’s also important that we learn how to sit correctly in a chair. For example, the key to recovering from acute low back pain is to maintain the normal curve of the spine. This is easier said than done! Although the rule of thumb is to sit as little as possible and to sit with back support, many people may still not know how to sit correctly in a chair.
Here, we illustrate what a good posture in office chair should be:
- Sit at the end of your chair and slouch completely.
- Draw yourself up and accentuate the curve of your back as far as possible.
- Sit in a high-back, firm chair. Sitting on a soft couch or chair will tend to make you round your back and won’t support the curve of your back.
- Adjust your chair height and work station so you can sit up close to your work and tilt it up at you. Rest your elbows and arms on your chair or desk, keeping your shoulders relaxed.
Lastly, if you sit in a chair that rolls and pivots, don’t twist at the waist while sitting. Instead, turn your whole body.
It can be difficult to stay adequately supported during long working hours. But, this can lead to painful back pain that lowers your overall productivity and focus! Thus, choosing a good chair that supports the lower back and promotes good posture is crucial to your health and work performance.
Best Chair for Back Pain: How Tech & Q Can Help?
Known that most people sit down for 13 to 15 hours a day, Tech & Q incorporates ergonomic science into the design of TEC-series chairs to adequately support your back during long working hours. To provide sufficient spine support, the contour of TEC the backrest mimics the general contour of the human spine.
Unlike the conventional plastic chair which features two pieces of a hard material attached as back and seat to one another at a 90°angle, the back of the TEC-series is in a convex shape, not flat vertical. It consists of multiple slats with different lengths and thickness, adjacent to one another to form a convex face that contours the shape of a human spine.
This amazing design enables a human back to match completely with the chair back while seated. This built-in lumbar back support helps maintain natural inward curvature of the lower spine; thus, alleviate back pain.
Our TEC-series was awarded with structure design patents (US 10,292,499 B1), and it grants Tech & Q the sole right to exclude others from manufacturing, using, selling, or importing an article embodying the protected design.
With years dedicated to researching the most advanced technology, Tech & Q has been able to successfully establish itself as a leader in world-class chairs.
Our TEC-series mirrors natural body movement, and provides the ultimate sitting comfort, and enhances blood circulation.
To conclude, it is clear that ergonomic chairs have a significant advantage over competitors especially when considering their use for long periods of sitting. Ergonomic chairs limit health risks and promote productive behavior.
Considering this, Tech & Q have also proven to be a leader in the industry that produces these chairs for the following reasons:
- We choose the material carefully to make sure the chairs are endurable in high-latitude regions
- Our team is dedicated to providing high-quality chairs as proven by the fact that most of our hot-selling products pass BIMFA or AFRDI standards test
- We provide a 3-year -warranty for all products
Why not get the best chair for back pain now?
For more information on how to choose an ergonomic chair for back pain, click: What is an Ergonomic Chair? How to Choose an Ergonomics Chair for Back Pain?
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Research Citation
- Trends in Sedentary Behavior Among the US Population, 2001-2016
- Sitting, Cancer Risk, and Developing Strategies to do Something About It