Developing a Proper Sitting Posture at Work to Prevent Chronic Tension Headaches
First of all, if you're going to sit all day, make sure you have a good chair. The seat of the chair should support your buttocks and the back of your legs. It should stop short of your knees and you should be able to fit all of your buttocks over it.
If you're a little bit bigger and your buttocks and the sides of your legs hang over the seat, then obviously the seat's not big enough for you and it won't provide proper support. In that case, you'll need a bigger seat.
Make sure there's a back to your chair and that that back provides support, not only to the lumbar area, but up through the middle of your back. Also, make sure that the back of your chair wraps around enough so that it holds all of your back muscles in place (on some chairs the backs are too small, supporting only a portion of the middle back).
It's also important to make sure that your chair allows you to rock back a bit, yet maintains an upright position. (I've seen chairs that put you in a slightly forward position, which forces you to bend forward. This puts a tremendous amount of stress and stretch on your lower back. Worse, it makes it easier for you to slouch or slump forward.)
Make sure that the height of your chair allows your feet to sit flat on the floor. This is critical.
Here's why: Taller people's feet will sit flat on the floor, but if their seats are adjusted too low then their legs aren't straight out and supported underneath the chair. In this case, the support actually comes from bottom of their feet, rather than from the seat of the chair.
Obviously, this is no good, so if you're taller make sure that your seat is adjusted so that your feet not only rest flat on the floor, but your legs are straight out
If you're short and your seat is adjusted so that your feet don't rest flat on the floor, then there will be a lot of pressure on the back of your legs. This will cut off blood flow and nerve conduction to your lower legs.
Whether you're tall, short, or of average height, you must also consider the positioning of your desk. As with your chair, your desk must be at the right height for you if you're to work in a proper posture.
Here's a simple test. Reach toward your desk. Now look at your elbows. Are they at a 90-degree angle?
They should be. If they're less than 90 degrees, then your arms are up too high, which means the desk is too high for you. If your elbows are at an angle greater than 90 degrees when you reach for your desk, then it's too low.
The proper positioning of your desk or work surface is also critical, not only for your back muscles - any surface that is too high or low forces you to adjust your shoulder musculature and causes extra strain - but for your hands as well.
An improperly positioned desk or work surface puts them at risk for developing carpal tunnel syndrome, especially if you work at a keyboard all day
Related Tags: headaches, headache, tension headaches, chronic tension headaches, get rid of tension headaches
Paul Bacho is a certified athletic trainer in Cleveland, Ohio with over 28 years treating patients with chronic pain.
He's also co-author of "How to Get Permanent Relief From Chronic Tension Headaches," a holistic program that he's used to help hundreds of people get rid of tension headaches.
To get three free chapters of his program, go to http://www.tensionheadaches.org
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