The UIC’s Department of Physiotherapy has held a conference on the subject of Sitting and Lumbar Pain:Myths and Realities. The session was led byMartín Barra, who holds a Degree in Physiotherapy and a Master’s Degree in Primary Care Research, and moderated by Ana Germán, a lecturer from the UIC’s Department of Physiotherapy.
The many hours we spend sitting down can cause discomfort or even injury to our lower back. To minimize these risks, it is recommended that we adopt a single sitting position, forming a right-angle between our hips and knees with our body upright. The aim of this posture is to imitate the fixed position adopted by the spinal column while we are standing. However, Barra brought the audience’s attention to the socio-cultural factors that have resulted in the upright position becoming the only one that is recommended despite the complete lack of evidence to support it and the fact that few people are capable of maintaining such a position while seated, not to mention the results of scientific studies indicating that other postures provide benefits for the health of our spinal column.
Many of the positions we spontaneously adopt while sitting and which bear little relation to the standard upright one are useful in maintaining lordosis, relaxing the muscles, minimizing intradiscal pressure and increasing nutrition to the discs. However, we are most at risk of discomfort or injury if we maintain any sitting position for a prolonged length of time. This risk is increased for more comfortable positions, which can be maintained until they cause significant discomfort, leading to an increased belief that such positions are incorrect.
Barra concluded that no posture can be described as totally correct or incorrect: rather, the best way to sit is to frequently switch between a variety of different positions, including those we adopt spontaneously, and to ensure we regularly get up out of our seats.
