We’ve always been told to sit up straight, but evidently we’re better off sitting back. A study confirms what many ergonomic experts and yoga advocates have been saying for some time _ humans aren’t made to stay bent at 90 degrees for any length of time.
Instead, “a 135-degree body-thigh sitting position was demonstrated to be the best biomechanical sitting position,” said Dr. Waseem Bashir, a clinical fellow in radiology and diagnostic imaging at the University of Alberta Hospital in Canada.
“We were not created to sit down for long hours, but somehow, modern life requires the vast majority of the global population to work in a seated position. This made our search for the optimal sitting position all the more important.”
Back pain affects roughly half of all adults around the globe at one time or another. It’s a $4 billion-a-year problem in the United States, second only to the common cold in lost workdays.
Spinal-disk movement occurs when weight-bearing strain is placed on the spine, causing internal disk-cushioning material to be compressed and misaligned. Disk movement was most pronounced in the 90-degree upright position. Disks were least disturbed at the 135-degree position, indicating that less strain is placed on spinal disks and associated muscles and tendons in a more relaxed sitting position.
By LEE BOWMAN
Read more at Scripps Howard News Service
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