If you experienced shoulder or back pain while sitting on your chair. Don’t worry. You are not alone. Numerous studies have cleared the fact that office workers often face this problem. Back pain is often caused by sitting on an incorrectly adjusted office chair. To avoid this problem, it is essential to know how to adjust office chair for lower back pain.
Quick Take Away:
Start by setting your office chair so your feet rest flat on the floor to alleviate lower back pain. Maintain a 90-degree angle between your knees. It is important to adjust the lumbar support so that your spine maintains its natural curve. Make sure the chair is close to your desk so you don’t have to lean forward. Lastly, make sure you stretch and move regularly.
Common causes of pain
Lower pain caused while sitting is due to many factors. No doubt, the most significant factor is the wrong posture sitting. Most people spend eight to ten hours sitting. But they don’t consider the posture of sitting. This causes lower back pain.
- The first major culprit is slouching. Leaning forward for prolonged periods puts a lot of strain on the lower back when we hunch over our desks. As a result, the natural curve of the spine is compromised, resulting in discomfort and, over time, possible pain.
- Another problem is an unsupportive chair. The spine pays the price if lumbar support isn’t provided by the chair. A shaky foundation is not ideal for building a house.
- Bad habits are also a contributing factor. When you sit in the same position for long periods of time, your muscles can become imbalanced and stiff. If we deny our bodies movement, they rebel with aches and pains.
- Last but not least, let’s not forget the screen height. A low or high monitor can cause awkward neck and back positions, resulting in discomfort. Every piece of the puzzle needs to be perfect – just like ergonomic Jenga.
How to adjust your chair to prevent back pain?
The first step is adjusting the office chair for lower back pain. These steps can prevent lower back pain.
- Your feet should be flat on the floor or on a stable footrest. Keep your legs uncrossed.
- Things like your monitor screen should be slightly downwards so that your knees cloud below from hips level. This prevents causing pressure on the leg muscles.
- The chair’s backrest should support your lower back. This support can be adjusted to suit your back.
- Your elbows should be supported by the chair’s armrest and closed to your body.
- Shoulders must be relaxed. By sitting with proper gestures, it can be possible.
- Your wrists and hands should be in a line following your forearms.
8 Major steps by following this :
1- Adjust the height of your desk.
Your elbows and desk should be at a level. If the level of your desk is high, adjust the height of your chair, and use the footrest to support your feet. Do not dangle your feet in the air as it causes pressure underside your thighs.
If the height of your desk is low and cannot be adjustable. You shouldn’t adjust your chair by lowering its height. Place some books to make the height of your keyboard and monitor high if you don’t. You have to bend forward continuously. This will cause lower back pain.
2- Adjust Armrest
If you have an ideal chair, then it should have an armrest. They should be adjusted to lift your shoulders slightly. It will prevent you from bending forward.
3- Adjust Backrest
Here I will tell you how to adjust an office chair for lower back pain. Place a fist behind your lower back and in front of your chair if there is not enough space for a fist. It means your chair back is do deep and needs to be adjusted. If the back of your chair can not be adjusted, you can use a folded towel or a cousin to adjust your backrest.
4- Adjust your resting eye level.
If you use a chair to study or during work. If your eye level is on the area of your screen where you have to look more. It is essential to adjust your chair so you do not need to move your head up or down to look at the computer screen. You have to adjust accordingly.
5- Place objects within arm’s reach.
You should keep things you use the most within your arm’s reach. This will help you to maintain your correct sitting posture for a long time. If you have to move to reach the objects, you need. It wil be difficult for you to sit again with the correct posture.
6- Practice correct posture while sitting
While the modest setup of your office chair and desk is necessary, the good health of your spine also requires active muscle use to maintain correct posture. Bending forward or slumping back stresses the muscles, ligaments, discs and other components of your back. Over time, poor posture while sitting can even increase the stress placed on other areas of your body, including your arms, shoulders and legs.
If you want to minimize the stress on your back. Sit close to the desk as possible. Your upper arms should be parallel to your spine. Hands should be rested at a 90-degree angle with the workplace. Legs should also be positioned at ninety degrees above your ankles. If you sit according to the mentioned guides, you are already sitting with the correct posture.
7- Adjust your computer monitor.
Your computer monitor should be an arm’s length away from you. The top of your screen should be just below your eye level. If you use glasses or lenses, they are designed for reading or distance, but not for computer use. In this case, you should adjust your monitor to match the focal length of your glasses.
If you wear reading glasses, move the computer screen closer. The monitor arm enables you to adjust the position of the screen. Keep your monitor and keyboard in the centre if you constantly twist your neck to look at your keyboard or paperwork. Using the micro desk, you can quickly end up with shoulder and neck pain.
Continuously using a laptop without a laptop stand or external monitor is terrible for your posture. It can cause headaches and shoulder and upper and lower back pain. If you are a regular laptop user, always use an external keyboard and mouse with a laptop stand or external monitor.
8- Make Movement
Movement is essential for your body and mind. If you do not move and keep sitting for hours, it can cause many health issues. Take a short break after an hour and walk some steps. This will save prevent lower back pain.
Conclusion
Our time at your job or school comprises most of the time you spend sitting. Adjusting your work environment and habits can significantly reduce the stress on your back over your lifetime. However, remember that excessive sitting at work or during your study is harmful. Because of this, making the necessary adjustments in other areas of your life is also essential to ensure complete care for your back. This article has taught you how to adjust the office chair for lower back pain.
