Many of us spend a good deal of time sitting at our desk or work table. Are you comfortable after you have been sitting for a long period of time? Do you feel "tight" and "strained" when you get up? What causes these problems and what can you do to avoid them? Let me share some information and tips that can help.

The way we sit is so important.  When you sit properly, with your hips all the way back into the chair, your lower back is supported and your head and neck then balance on the top of your spine. Many of us sit in what feels like a "relaxed" posture, but is really slouching. This allows your head to be forward of midline, requiring your neck and shoulder muscles to do all the work of holding your head up. An average head can weigh up to fourteen pounds! That's a lot of weight to support.

When you do not sit upright, the balance aspect is gone. Over time, your muscles can become tight and overused.  One small movement in the wrong direction will cause a spasm and, suddenly, you have a stiff neck or intense pain in one shoulder.

Here are some specific tips to avoid these problems:

1.  First, check to see that you are sitting properly, hips all the way back in your chair with your neck and head upright and your feet touching the floor. You want to make sure that your lower back is supported (use of a lumbar cushion is good) and that your elbows are resting on the arms of the chair. Sitting in the right position is the key to everything else in terms of maintaining comfort and ease of movement.

2.  When talking on the phone, avoid holding the phone between your head and shoulder. This is one of the worst things you can do because it causes a tightening of your neck and shoulder, resulting in possible long standing pain. Instead, use a headset, speakerphone or just hold the receiver in your hand!

3.  At the computer, remember that the monitor should be at eye level so that your neck is not tilted down or up, but is straight. When using a mouse or touch pad, ideally your elbows should be supported to relieve strain on your shoulders. To avoid carpal tunnel pain when typing, you should have your wrists supported and your fingers lower than your wrist. Use of a wrist rest pad can be beneficial.

A more complete explanation of ways to sit and move comfortably is available in the book Staying Flexible. For more information, please visit my website at www.imflexible.com.

Ann-Marie Hope Vaccaro is a licensed physical therapist trained at the University of Connecticut. With over 25 years of experience, she has combined several techniques into a manual therapy that first lines us up structurally, addressing the "source" of our pain. She has a passion to put simple tools into the hands of lay- men and women to enable us all to live pain free!