How do you sit when working at your desk? Do you have ideal posture? Or, do you collapse into a slouched posture or sit perched on the edge of your seat, too engrossed in your work to consider sitting well? I see these postures commonly during my work and both result in a lack of support to the spine and will likely result in fatigue, aches and pains, reduced blood flow around the body and even breathing difficulties.
But why is it we do this?
Some people, despite having a suitable all bells and whistles chair, still fail to sit well. Research has shown gender differences to the way we sit, with men commonly slouching more and women sitting on the edge of their chairs and not using the back rest at all. Research too shows that women feel they need to increase the tone in their bodies and sit overly upright to help motivate them and allow them to multitask! Does this ring true?
How do you sit? Why do you sit like this? I am very interested in why people sit the way they do and I would really appreciate any comments you have on this topic.
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Put me down for No 4! And I dread to think how I’m sitting right now. Why do we do it? Unsuitable desks and chairs in my case…
Thank you for your input Fiona. Do you think you need some workplace assessments done! My next post will be on the dangers of home working. So mnay people now sit hunched over a laptop. This is OK for very short periods, but not when undertaken for hours at a time, like many people do.
Hi Laura, Thank you for your comments. You are certainly not alone by working in this fashion. It is almost as if the stress that drives us to get going and work will not let us sit relaxed when getting on with our tasks. I find myself that sitting in a chair with a free float that is counter-balanced really helps. I can therefore change from an upright position (but with support from the chair back) to a more reclined position just by transfering my body weight slightly forward or back. Reclining (as opposed to slouching) is good as it reduces the loading on the low back. I therefore recline when I am reading from hard or soft documents but sit more upright when typing, so I can adopt good postures in my neck and arms.
Next blog will be about the perils of home working so this maybe useful to you!
Best wishes,
Kathy
I am reading this blog at home – kneeling on a chair and leaning forwards to read the computer screen. Oops. Your points are well made! I have experienced backpain before due to bad posture and its generally after periods of working from home as opposed to working in the office, when I tend to move about more. Thanks for the reminder!