Just last week I was visiting with a new client, who was lamenting that her new $1400 chair did not solve her back pain. Inspired by her story, I would like to review a few details about sitting and back health.
Perfect Posture
For as long as I can remember, various philosophies have touted the perfect posture, a way of sitting that aligns the body to eliminate stress. While passionate voices extoll one approach over the other, researchers have also studied various approaches and the data isn't kind. (Nothing screws up a good theory like a few facts!)
The Perfect Chair
If there is a perfect posture, then a reasonable goal would be to design a chair that keeps you in that balanced state. Unfortunately, as my client found out, this is a nice idea, but often the results are disappointing. Wrong design? More importantly, wrong goal.
The Human Body is Designed to Move
Here is the reality: The human body is designed for movement, not stasis. From brain function (check out the wonderful work being done here at the
Beckman Institute) to muscle function, the body is built to move. Any chair designed to assist you in sitting for long periods of time is fatally flawed from the beginning. In fact, I once saw a study that compared two companies, one with very expensive ergonomic chairs and the other with terribly uncomfortable chairs. You guessed it, the uncomfortable group did better, because the furniture was so bad the subjects were compelled to get up and move more often.
This isn't an excuse for poor posture or bad furniture. It does point to good sitting as a dymanic and changing process rather than a static position.
Bruegger's Exercise 
A wonderfully simple way to counteract the effects of constant sitting is Bruegger's Exercise. The instructions are as follows:
1) Sit on the edge of a chair or stability ball
2) Let the arms hang at your sides, relaxed
3) Turn the hands outwards with the thumbs pointing upward and behind the shoulders
4) Tuck the chin backwards (towards your spine) without looking up or down and breathe in
5) Slowly breathe out while rotating your arms laterally and bringing your shoulder blades together in back.
This exercise simply reverses all the patterns of prolonged sitting. Do this as often as you can- every time you need a break at your desk.
efforts to the relief of muscular
discomfort and stress reduction. Our goal is to help you feel your very best. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you; it is an honor and a privilege. 
