Much so-called comfortable furniture is not back-friendly. By applying the principles of good sitting and making use of cushions and boards you can help keep back Pain problems at bay.
At home
The seeds of posture-related Back pain are often sown as people sit at home, relaxing from the stress engendered by a hard day at work. The problem is that sofas and armchairs are designed according to the dictates of fashion rather than for the needs of the human back.
Sofas and armchairs can cause back pain problems if they are too soft, the seat is too low and too deep, or the backrest is too short. The spine’s natural curve may need support in the lower back, or lumbar region, and much home furniture does not supply this.
A back-friendly easy chair allows you to sit with your lower back firmly against the backrest and both feet flat on the floor. The backrest should also be shaped to give some extra support to the lumbar region. If it is not, place a cushion or two behind the small of your back.
If the seat is too deep you either have to sit forward with your feet on the floor, a position that encourages you to hunch, or with your lumbar region against the backrest and your feet off the floor. In both these positions the spine adopts a shape that may bring on back pain. A seat that is too soft or too low also encourages you to sit in a position that puts excess strain on your spine.
Neck hazards
Lying on your side with your head on the armrest of the sofa while reading, watching television or dozing is a habit that may lead to eventual strain. The angle of the armrest twists the neck, leading to neck pain. If you want to lie on your sofa in this way, always support your neck with cushions and try to change sofa ends every 30 minutes or so to even the strain.
Adapting older furniture
It is not necessary to refurnish your home completely. You can take simple measures to improve your existing sofas and armchairs. If the seat is too deep, try placing several cushions behind your back. If the seat is too low, you may be able to have new, higher legs fitted by a furniture or upholstery shop. If the seat is too soft, wooden boards, wrapped in soft foam, can be placed beneath the seat.
Starting early
The principles of treating your back well apply as much to children as to adults. It is just as important for children to change their sitting position at frequent intervals. It is also vital that the furniture that they use fits them.
In many cases children have to make do with furniture designed for adults. If a chair is too high, support the child’s feet with a box or even on a pile of heavy books. Work surfaces, especially desks or computer tables, are often too high for a child. This results in hunched shoulders and strained upper arms. If this is the case, raise the height of the seat. If this cannot be done, sit the child on a wedge-shaped cushion so that the keyboard is roughly at elbow level. With the thick part of the wedge at the back, the cushion will incline the child slightly forward.
