Help me sit right?

July 12, 2007 9:36 AM

My behind hurts. Am I sitting wrong?

I've looked at this thread, which seems to be the closest thing, but it's not quite right. Somehow my chair at work got adjusted, and I'm starting to feel discomfort after sitting for awhile, as if I'm tilted too far back or something. I don't get this sitting in other situations, so it's not my body.

What might be the causes of this? Sitting too low? too far back? I've fiddled around with my chair, but have not yet hit on the right adjustment to make.

posted by canine epigram to health & fitness (3 comments total)

seat cushions not thick enough?
you should definitely look into spending some cash to get a decent chair, it makes all the difference in the world - and get one that has thick cushions and is adjustable in as many ways as possible. Then look up sitting ergonomic guidelines on google. Generally the seat cushion should also be long enough to go from your butt to your knees, you should feel supported right up thru your knees while you're sitting. The chair height should be so that your feet can be flat on the ground, but no lower. In terms of height the monitor should be at eye level so that you dont have to bend your neck downwards at all in order to view it, you may need to raise the monitor a bit. Of course tweak those guidelines to your preference, but the point is to have a chair and a monitor stand so you can adjust these things.
Its well worth it to spend some real money to get a real chair. especially if you make your living in front of the computer.
posted by jak68 at 10:08 AM on July 12, 2007

you're probably sitting on your tailbone. ergonomics and a real chair would help a lot, it think.
posted by jak68 at 10:09 AM on July 12, 2007

seat cushions not thick enough?

Or too thick maybe. Your skeleton is better equipped to hold up the weight of your body than distributing the load across a fleshy behind. Sitting on your bones is actually what you want to do. Try a well-designed chair, the proper height so your feet sit comfortably on the floor, and not too well-cushioned.
posted by three blind mice at 1:18 PM on July 12, 2007