Lower spine always wants to slump

[runningbird]

Anyone else have this problem? My lower spine always wants to make a "C". I feel like my seat needs to be sloped slightly forward for me to keep my spine straight. On just a level seat, or especially one tipped slightly back, I really have to make a lot of effort to sit up straight. I feel the strain in my lower back immediately.. after a few minutes I am just too tired to stay straight.

Anyone deal with this?

[rocksupreme]

Your lower back is too weak. Probably all of your back, actually, and quite possibly the rest of the muscles in the hip/core area.

Is this your only postural/pain issue? How long have you been feeling this?

[runningbird]

Yep, this is my only postural problem. I don't have trouble standing up straight. I have always just slumped when I sit. I'm not sure its ever been natural for me to sit upright, except maybe as a toddler.

[Trezker]

My theory is that nearly all chairs suck. If I remember correctly I have once sat in a chair that supported me properly and was comfy. But that's a very rare exception.

[Bleicke]

@Trezker:

True! Even big-money "boss style" office chairs suck. Try Finding the Perfect Office Chair: Aeron vs. Swiss Ball vs. the FBI’s Pick… by Tim Ferriss, he discusses a few good chairs. They're not all cheap, though. But keep in mind: if you're an office worker, you sit in a chair 8 hours a day. How many hours each day do you use your car? Why save money on the thing you spend your life in?

[sepiagal]

Needing to rest your lower back on a chair for support is an indication of bad posture.

Proper posture when sitting means you do NOT lean on the back of the chair for support. You sit on your "sit bones" and lean slightly foward. Not everyone sits on their sit bones all of the time. If you sat next to someone on a bus, a train., etc, and noticed more room after they shifted positions then you know how sitting properly takes up less space in the seat. You also appear taller when you are on your sit bones. And many people relax completely when they sit and do not sit on their sit bones. They take up more space in the seat when they don't sit on their sit bones.

But your sit bones are not the only thing to know about proper sitting posture.

I recommend this video that costs less than $10. Its not that easy to learn but it will strengthen you core and give you great posture. The video is The 5 Minute Workout by Dell-Maree Day.

You only need to train yourself 5 minutes a day but it can take months to learn the proper form.

The muscle you engage is the tranverse abdominis (TA). This is like the body's natural girdle. But it is deep in your core and is challenging to learn how to engage it.

But when you engage it you will take the stress off of other muscles that are doing the work that they were not meant to do.

You can learn how to engage your TA while sitting, standing and lying down. But because the muscle is deep in your core and likely neglected for many years it requires a serious commitment to learn how to engage it. The adjustments you learn to make to get in proper alignment to engage the TA are small subtle moves. It takes time (months) to get the hang of knowing you have the proper form. But you can work on it while driving your car, standing in line, etc.

You can spend lots of money for a good chair or spend the time to learn better alignment and proper posture.

Most people have difficulty only when sitting but that doesn't mean their posture while standing is fine. If you had to stand for 8 hours doing something like working on a keyboard you'd probably notice problems from standing too.

[runningbird]

Thanks for such an informative post.

[funchy]

Another vote for this being a sign of weak muscles.

Find an exercise that works the core muscles. Some of my friends love pilates. I do a deep-water workout class at my Y which forces me to constantly balance and keep upright while doing the exercises. I also found some benefit from when I was horseback riding; you can't ride properly (in balance) with a weak back.

[IAmKatie]

After 3 kids, my transverse abdominis is shot. I have read "Lose Your Mummy Tummy", which is an exercise book (targeted to moms) about how to strengthen the transverse abdominis. I guess I'll actually have to start doing the exercised if I want to see any improvement I'll have to check out the 5 Minute Workout as well.

[Trezker]

Hmm, this is most interesting.

For many years, the vas majority of people had no idea and didn't give a **** about sitting properly. For a long time there has been millions of people that just want a chair they can relax in and that keeps them in a stable position. Yet the chair industry has never bothered to cash in on these ignorant people.

Just about every other industry has been very diligent in reinforcing peoples ignorance. What makes the chair industry different?
They have even made a lot of different chairs to promote correct posture. Which made me remember where I sat in that chair I mentioned. It was at a class reunion. They were rebuilding the school and in one room they had "the classroom of the future" arranged for groupwork, decentralized etc.. And there were these chairs that seemed pretty normal, but when I sat in one it felt really supportive and relaxing. I got the definite feeling I'd never even tend to slide down on it, I even tried to slide into a bad posture and the chair resisted my attempts. Even moving myself into a different position made the chair very uncomfortable.

[William Womack]

Two things:

One: Our spines form a natural "S" curve. So some curvature of the lower spine is totally natural. In fact, I would be worried if you didn't have a curve in your lower back. If you want proof, look up pictures of a skeleton.

This problem comes along with the seating apparel that is provided in the places the we sit. They either are straight back or have the opposite curve!

An example of a good seat would be most car seats that have the adjustable back support. If you take a look, the part where your lower back sits actually sticks out to support your lower back.

Two: Weak back muscles. We all struggle with this. Most of us will run and lift weights, but we forget about the muscles in our backs. Do more core exercises like people have suggested here. Make sure to do them properly or you will further your back problems.

Also, keep sitting up straight. Your back muscles are getting tired because they aren't used to the weight. And sitting up straight does not mean straight as an arrow or not leaning forward or back some. Them main problem of poor posture is over curving the top curve of your spine.

The easiest way is to lean forward slightly, but make sure your chest is puffed out instead of caved in. Example: Try sticking the middle of your back out as far as possible. You chest is caved in. Now pretend that you are puffing your chest out until it is almost in line with the rest of your posture. Feels better doesn't it? And there shouldn't be any tension in your lower back.

There are numerous benefits to correcting your posture, but I'm sure you already know what they are otherwise you wouldn't have started this thread.

If you want to start correcting other things in your life, visit my blog at Conscious Growth

I take requests for topics, so feel free to send me an e-mail to let me know what I can write about that would help you the most.

My e-mail is wawomack7@gmail.com

Hope this helps with you back issues! If you have any more questions, feel free to send me an e-mail so I can explain further.

Have a great day everyone!