Correct Sitting Posture at a Desk: Sit without Pain
“Can correct sitting posture really help stop my back pain?”
Yes, it can. For many reasons.
As I describe in Hauber's Heal Your Back Handbook and the Save Your Neck & Shoulders Handbook--and usually shock my live workshop students with the first 10 minutes of my classes--we are not designed to sit.
Really. There is nothing about our structure that says, "Yes, that is a sitting animal."
Rather, we are designed to do one thing efficiently:
move ourselves forward on two feet, using our glutes and legs to do so.
Our pelvic bowl is horribly designed for sitting; it is perfectly designed for walking and running.
Our spine is horribly designed for sitting; it is perfectly designed for keeping us erect as we (you guessed it) walk and run.
But our technologically advanced society requires us to sit, and usually slouch, for at least 8 and as many as 16 hours a day!
Yes, it can. For many reasons.
As I describe in Hauber's Heal Your Back Handbook and the Save Your Neck & Shoulders Handbook--and usually shock my live workshop students with the first 10 minutes of my classes--we are not designed to sit.
Really. There is nothing about our structure that says, "Yes, that is a sitting animal."
Rather, we are designed to do one thing efficiently:
move ourselves forward on two feet, using our glutes and legs to do so.
Our pelvic bowl is horribly designed for sitting; it is perfectly designed for walking and running.
Our spine is horribly designed for sitting; it is perfectly designed for keeping us erect as we (you guessed it) walk and run.
But our technologically advanced society requires us to sit, and usually slouch, for at least 8 and as many as 16 hours a day!
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At work, driving, on the bus, on your couch, in bed: Chances are, you are slouching, rather than practicing correct sitting posture, and you certainly are not using your body to propel you forward on two feet, the way it was designed to do, in any of those environments,
The effects of sitting without proper posture are detrimental to proper physical function and are a major source of pain. Usually, such pain will present in the neck, shoulders, upper back, lower back, and hips. |
Sitting like this is bad news--but we do it all the time.
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However, dysfunction in the hips can lead to knee pain, too.
Not walking enough (with good posture) can lead to foot dysfunction, which also leads to knee pain, hip pain, and lower back pain as you adjust your gait to accommodate foot problems.
But most of us have to sit if we want to keep our jobs, right?
So in the brief video below, I show you how to sit to:
In Series A of the Hauber Method™, I teach you how to sit without pain. And the Neck & Shoulders session in Series C shows you exactly the right exercises and stretches to keep your upper body in line over time, rather than succumbing to neck pain associated with forward-head posture (or "upper cross syndrome").
This little demo at one of my live workshops, however, takes "functional sitting" one step further. Watch, learn, and start to sit right to get rid of your pain. It’s a great alternative to ditching your desk job due to pain!
Not walking enough (with good posture) can lead to foot dysfunction, which also leads to knee pain, hip pain, and lower back pain as you adjust your gait to accommodate foot problems.
But most of us have to sit if we want to keep our jobs, right?
So in the brief video below, I show you how to sit to:
- eliminate many sources of the pain that can be caused by incorrect sitting posture, and
- help stretch the hips in an effort to mitigate some of the horrible hip dysfunction that arises from too much sitting with bad posture.
In Series A of the Hauber Method™, I teach you how to sit without pain. And the Neck & Shoulders session in Series C shows you exactly the right exercises and stretches to keep your upper body in line over time, rather than succumbing to neck pain associated with forward-head posture (or "upper cross syndrome").
This little demo at one of my live workshops, however, takes "functional sitting" one step further. Watch, learn, and start to sit right to get rid of your pain. It’s a great alternative to ditching your desk job due to pain!
Sitting with good posture can make all the difference between a sore back and a happy back. Sara Hauber explains.
"Correct Sitting Posture at a Desk: Sit without Pain" Written by Sara Hauber.
First published in 2014; updated and republished November 29, 2019.
First published in 2014; updated and republished November 29, 2019.
How can I get started?
Click the button below to go back to the main Articles page and read more about how the muscles in your core, back, and hamstrings affect your posture and your pain while sitting, standing, and moving.
Click the button below to go back to the main Articles page and read more about how the muscles in your core, back, and hamstrings affect your posture and your pain while sitting, standing, and moving.
Or, if you're ready to experience the magic of an introductory online Hauber Method™ session, book a session today! You'll get a free sample of Hauber's Heal Your Back Handbook!