It’s an admonishment you’ve likely heard at least once from your mother: “Stop slouching!” And, when it comes to posture, it turns out mother really did know best. Your daily posture has a direct effect on your health. Failing to keep our bodies in proper alignment can cause a host of issues, including spinal degeneration, bone spurs, disc and nerve complications, and loss of function.

Our bodies are designed to adapt and conform to the tasks and functions we most often perform on a daily basis. Over time weight lifters develop stronger muscles and bones, gymnasts develop increased elasticity of muscles and ligaments, and individuals who earn a living while seated find it harder to keep moving throughout the day. That’s why ensuring correct sitting posture is crucial in order to avoid unnecessary pain and injury.

There is no particular chair or workstation that is ideal for everybody, however, understanding and visualizing normal spinal curves will help you tailor individual solutions.  When looking at a spine “head on” it should be straight; when viewed from the side, however, the spine should have three important curves that form an “S” shape. This shape helps stabilize the spine and dissipate the forces of gravity. There should be an elliptical curve in the neck and low back, and an oval curve in the mid-back. Imagine an infant crawling around and holding his head up to examine the world. That is the natural position for developing these curves.  In this crawling position, you can visualize the elliptical curves in the neck and low back drooping down toward the floor and the oval curve in the mid-back facing upwards where the arms support the trunk.  The plasticity of our tissues allows our bodies to develop these curves over time. When we finally start walking on two legs, the elasticity of these tissues helps maintain the spine in this ideal form. 

The ideal sitting posture mirrors this crawling posture, but in an upright orientation. While sitting, it is vital that we take measures to promote and utilize these beneficial curves. For gentlemen, that means: Stop sitting on your wallet. For ladies, that means: Stop crossing your legs. Sitting with objects in your back pockets, or crossing the legs, creates improper curves in the spine and leads to spinal degeneration with resulting low back and hip pain. To support the curve of the lower spine, try adding a comfortable, elliptical-shaped pillow or support that fits into your natural spinal curve. But remember, bigger is not always better. It’s important to find a support the fits within your natural curve without distorting it.

To further encourage correct head and neck posture, make sure your keyboard and display are centered, allowing you to access resources without turning or rotating. The screen should be placed at eye level. Placing books under the monitor is a quick solution. Your chin should remain parallel to the floor, with the ears in a straight line over the shoulders. It’s important to note that as the chin drops towards the chest, or begins to jut forward, the natural curve in the neck is reduced from a highly supportive “spring design” to a straightened, “ramrod” configuration. This increases pressure on the discs and spinal nerves, leading to spinal degeneration and symptoms such as headaches, head/neck tension, numbness/tingling in arms/hands and vision changes.

Finally, remember that our bodies are designed for movement, which is the only way the spine and discs exchange nutrients for functioning and repair.  Sitting longer than an hour suffocates this nutrient supply to your supporting structures — it’s like running a marathon without breathing!  So be sure to change your position often. Set a timer to remind you to take a quick five-minute walking break every 45 minutes, which will make a huge difference in both your focus and physical comfort.

Prevention is paramount to the health and longevity of your spine and central nervous system. By paying attention to your sitting posture now, you can avoid significant pain and injury later.