What’s the Best Way to Sit With Low Back Pain?

What’s the Best Way to Sit With Low Back Pain?

Are you struggling to sit due to low back pain? Do you find yourself fidgeting in your seat while you are trying to get your work done? Well, then read on for our best tips on how to sit “properly” with low back pain – or even if you want to avoid low back pain.

So many of our patients come in with this question. They have read tons of advice on-line and tell us about all the things they have tried to sit correctly. And, none of them have relieved their low back pain. Or it’s hard to know if you are doing it correctly.

I created this simple technique because it is simple to do and it just makes sense. The additional bonus is that this technique will help you get in touch with your body and how it moves.

Why is it so Important to Sit Properly if You Have Low Back Pain?

When you are slouching regularly, you are putting increased stress on the joints and discs in your low back. The body is designed to stack up properly. When you are not doing this (or can’t because your back is not moving correctly!) the discs have too much stress on them. This causes the discs to break down and can lead to things like disc herniations or a “slipped disc”.

If you find yourself with low back pain or stiffness after sitting for a long period of time then you are probably suffering with this problem. This technique will help you to find the best position for your spine to decrease stress and keep those discs happy.

Are you ready to give it a try? Here we go!

Dr. Amy’s simple technique for finding proper sitting posture:

When you find your own neutral position you should feel well balanced without pain. There should not be increased muscle activation. This position should feel like you could stay here all day without a struggle. This should be a position of comfort.

Now, if you need to stay in this position for a long period of time (ie: if you work at a computer) then you can use pillows or rolled up towels to help support your body in this position. Just make sure that you are not using the props to hold you in the wrong position. It’s best to have someone help adjust the pillows and rolled up towels until you get used to this position.

Here are a couple more tips if sitting increases your low back pain:

What if This Doesn’t Work?

Occasionally we find that people have so much pain that they are not able to even move their body into the correct position. If this is you, then we encourage you to sign up for a Free Discovery Visit. During this visit, we will listen to you talk about your low back pain and see if we are a good fit for what your body needs. This appointment is completely free with no obligation for you to continue with us. It is designed to give you a chance to get to meet us in person so you can make the best decision regarding getting help for your low back pain.

Because the tips included here should be available to everyone. This technique is very gentle and you should implement it into your regular routine. But, if this causes you increased pain then your situation has moved beyond finding answers on-line or through reading a blog post. And, you should get help before the situation progresses any further.

At Physical Therapy for everyBODY, we often see people who have had low back pain with sitting for years but have “managed” their symptoms on their own. UNTIL…until that one day when they go to plug in the vacuum and their back goes out, until that one day they go to pick up their child or grandchild and find themselves stuck, until that one day they are throwing a bag of trash into the garbage and have a shooting pain. Why not sign up for a Free Discovery Visit and get this problem solved before you have your “until” moment?