For many of us, a good portion of each day is spent sitting. Unfortunately, often we sit slouched, which, while it may feel comfortable and normal, it isn’t very good for the spine.
Why is Good Sitting Posture Important?
Sitting in a slouched position puts a lot of pressure on the discs of the lower back. Research has shown that pressure on the discs when sitting slouched is similar to the pressure created by jumping! If you were to jump for eight hours a day, your back would understandably be pretty sore. If you are sitting slouched at your desk for eight hours a day, however, you may be putting your spine under levels of stress similar to what you’d have if you were jumping for that whole time.
What is Good Sitting Posture?
Good posture of the spine begins with the pelvis, because the pelvis is the platform of the spine. If you have been practicing Pilates in a studio, you have probably been taught about neutral pelvis “ the position of the pelvis in which it is neither tucked under nor tilted forward. Sitting in neutral pelvis places the spine in a balanced position and significantly reduces pressure on the discs in the lower spine.
How Do I Find Neutral Pelvis in Sitting?
Start by finding your sitz bones: place your hands, palms up, underneath your buttocks, and feel your sitz bones. They are the most prominent bones you’ll feel in your buttocks.
Next, tuck your pelvis under, rounding your lower back. Feel with your hands the movement of the sitz bones. You’ll notice that the bones start to feel flat against your hands. This flat boney position is a slouched position.
Now we’ll explore the other end of the range. Tilt your pelvis all the way forward, arching your lower back. You’ll feel your bones leave your hands and notice that all your weight comes onto the back of your thighs.
Neutral pelvis is the mid point between the slouched and tilted forward positions. In neutral, the sitz bones feel pointy into your hands. Practice a few times, rolling your pelvis through its range of motion and then feeling neutral position.
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When you sit with your pelvis in neutral position, you are positioning your spine in good alignment. |
A Word of Caution: Don’t Over-Correct
Many people, in trying to correct a slouched sitting posture, go into a position where the pelvis is tilted forward (the second position in the exercise above). This position often feels very upright and straight, though in fact the lower spine is overarched.
We’ve often had clients come to the studio telling us, “I’ve been trying to stop slouching and sit up straight, but my back has been feeling even worse than before”! With this situation we often find that the client has tried so hard to correct a slouching position that he has over-corrected and is sitting in a position where the pelvis is tilted forward. This tilted-forward posture is also hard on the spine, and may lead to pain and tightness in the upper back, between the shoulder blades.
A Tip: Incorporating Good Sitting Posture Into Your Day
Your habitual sitting posture has developed over hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of repetition. Changing it will take time, concentration, and practice. We’ve found that clients have been most successful at adopting good sitting posture when they get in the habit of checking their posture automatically after certain triggers, for example, check your posture every time you finish a phone call, send an email message, or fasten your seat belt in the car.
Still Have Questions?
Ask your instructor next time you are in for class. Your instructor will be very happy to work with you on finding and practicing neutral pelvis positioning and good sitting posture.
