Does your back hurt when you sit too long? Most people will tell you that it must be time to find a new chair. The ergonomic chair companies would also like you to believe that the chair you have isn’t good enough so that they can sell you a new one. While it sounds like good reasoning, this actually won’t solve your problem, because it’s not the chair’s fault your back hurts.

The cause of back pain and stiffness is not your chair. Here’s a few real reasons why your back hurts.

REAL CAUSE OF PAIN WHEN SITTING:

1. You Sit Too Much
   Everyone knows that if you sit too long without breaks, you’ll get stiff and sore. Your body is a motion machine. It wasn’t made for sitting for 8 hours behind a desk with no break. The latest research even shows that sitting is bad for you. An article published by Harvard Medical School states: “Even if you’re reasonably active, hours of sitting—whether reading a book, working on the computer, or watching TV—tighten the hip flexor and hamstring muscles and stiffen the joints themselves. Overly tight hip flexors and hamstrings affect gait and balance, making activities like walking harder and perhaps even setting you up for a fall.” 1
2. Your Hips Are Uneven
   More common than you might think, our hips can become imbalanced after an injury like a bad sprained ankle. You might have been on crutches for a week, during which time your hips learned to load unevenly. Now, 10 years later, you still walk with some of that old compensation. Uneven hips means your spine also gets crooked and will eventually hurt, especially when sitting for long periods.
3. You Always Cross Your Legs The Same Way
   Old habits die hard, don’t they? We are creatures of habit, and when we cross the same leg over the top or tuck the same leg under a hip to sit for hours, we’re actually creating or strengthening uneven hips. If you didn’t read number 2 yet, the result of having uneven hips is pain.
4. You’ve Lost Your Low Back Arch
   This may be the most common reason that we see low back and hip pain. You were born with 2 gorgeous spinal curves for a reason. That’s how your body absorbs the force of gravity while you sit, stand, and move. If those arches flatten, the disks between your vertebrae will become susceptible to bulging or herniating. The longer you sit in C shape, the faster you will lose your proper S curves. The result? You guessed it. Pain.

So, now that you know that your problem isn’t your chair, you’re probably wondering how to fix your uneven hips or flattened spinal arches? The answer is simple. You need to move, and you need to get the right movements into your day.

A BETTER SOLUTION THAN A NEW CHAIR

This Mini Routine by Zeena at VerticAlign will jumpstart your healing. She’s a PTX Licensed therapist, and she’s got you covered. With her four minute routine, you’ll start to break up your sitting patterns and heal your body. She sums it up well:

“You can search for hours and hours on the internet to try to find an easy way to get proper posture exercises at your desk, or you could follow this mini plan and know that you’re getting the best possible 4 minute routine that’s worth your time.“

Do you really want another crappy chair that leaves you hurting? Changing full body posture is the best and most effective ergonomic fix there is. Start with the exercises from VerticalAlign. When you’re ready for more, reach out and get a fully customized program from Zeena at VerticAlign, or try the personalized on-demand therapy programs at PTXtherapy.com.

New chair or not, take care of your body, you need it to last.

1 https://www.health.harvard.edu/pain/the-dangers-of-sitting