Where Should Your Lumbar Support Be?
An increasing number of us are working from home. We are trying to do our jobs sitting at kitchen and dining room tables. As you are probably aware, that is not the ideal way of sitting down to work.
First of all, your dining or kitchen table is probably not at the right height. Secondly, what sort of chair are you sitting on? Sitting on a kitchen chair or dining room for long hours will not support your posture in the right way.
Ideally, you should be sitting down at the right height using an ergonomic chair. Your lumbar support should be in the right place to support your spine and reduce pressure.
Sitting In The Right Position To Support Your Spine
Sitting down is not the best position to find ourselves in for an extended period of time. It increases pressure on your entire spine including the discs that make up your spinal column. In the long term, you will find yourself suffering from back pain.
If you would like to reduce stress on your spinal column, you need to “revise” your sitting position. Here are a few easy things that you can do when working from home:
● Invest in a lumbar support if you don't have access to an ergonomic chair
● When you sit in your chair make sure that your feet are flat on the floor and your knees are bent at 90 degrees.
● You should also make sure that your computer screen is elevated to a position so that it is in line with your neck. Make sure that you are looking straight at the screen, not up or down.
What Is A Lumbar Support?
Many of us are not aware of the advantages of using a lumbar support. The idea of a lumbar support is that it supports the curve in your lower spine. This curve often forms slightly below the back of our rib cage. When you place a support in this area, you will feel your spine straighten naturally.
By all means, you can try using a cushion or rolled towel. However, these are not the ideal supports for your spine. You can buy lumbar supports that fit around your chair with an elastic cord or velcro strap.
Should you buy a purposed made lumbar support? When you want to ensure long-term spinal health, investing in a support is the best solution.
Get Moving During The Day
Sitting all day is not only bad for your spine. It can cause other physical problems as well including leg pain. Poor microcirculation is a result of sitting down too much. You also increase the chances of developing varicose veins and thrombosis.
Every so often you should stand up and stretch. That does not mean you have to do yoga, but you should move around.
The best solution is to go for a walk. If you don't feel like leaving the house, you can do one of the many Walk At Home workouts that are available on YouTube. They will have your body moving in almost every direction. That is exactly what your body needs when you sit down a lot.
Did you know that for every 15 minutes that you sit down, you should do at least 1 minute of aerobic exercise? That means if you are sitting down for 3 hours you need to exercise for at least 12 minutes.
Many Walk At Home YouTube videos are 12 to 15 minutes long. Why not break up your working day and 3 workouts per day. You will soon notice the difference.
Does Stretching Help?
Stretching can help you as well, but you need to be careful. You don't want to go from sitting in your chair to stretching in a matter of minutes.
If your muscles are not warm when you stretch, you can do more harm than good. That is why a combination of aerobic activity and stretching is recommended. When you come to the end of the workout, you simply follow the stretches recommended in the video.
Standing up and stretching can do you good as well. However, many of us have been in the situation where we stand up and stretch only to pull a muscle or feel something snap in our backs.
That sudden stretch did you more harm than good.
Investing In A Standing Desk
Standing at your desk is becoming very popular. It sounds like a great idea, but you can still find yourself in trouble.
Most homeworkers that have invested in standing desks don't stand correctly. You may think that you are standing straight but most likely you are not. Instead of slouching forward, you may find yourself slouching to one side instead. This will very quickly lead to problems with your spine.
The Final Verdict On Where The Lumbar Support Should Be
You can say the problem is as tall as it is long. Working from home or in an office presents a serious challenge to the human body. We are simply meant to move. That is why we have all of these wonderful built-in articulations i.e. joints.
Standing up to work and type on your keyboard is not the perfect solution. Notice the position of your elbows and you will soon realise bending your elbows all day will lead to pressure on the neck and shoulders. You are only replacing one problem with another so standing up all day is not a realistic solution to your work-at-home posture problems.
No matter what you say, it is best to sit down and work. Use a lumbar support when you are sitting down and take frequent breaks. Not only will your spine thank you for it, but the rest of your body will as well.
Brought to you by Your Back Pain Relief
