Replace 'Sit straight' theory with 'Relaxed' position- Study

A prolonged suggested theory that sitting straight at 90-degree angle is the perfect sitting posture is contradicted by a new study which indicated that it is not the right position for office workers as it places unnecessary strain on spinal discs and surrounding muscles, leading to potentially chronic pain problems in case of long hours sitting.

As per a common belief, sitting stiff-backed and upright is perfect for our bones, our back, our digestion but a team of Scottish and Canadian radiologists at Woodend Hospital in Aberdeen, Scotland, using state-of-the-art scanning equipment suggested that instead of sitting bolt upright we should sit in a more laid-back posture, in order to alleviate back pain.

Telling about the perfect and an ideal angle for office workers who sit for long periods, Waseem Amir Bashir, M.B.Ch.B., F.R.C.R. said, "A 135-degree body-thigh sitting posture was demonstrated to be the best biomechanical sitting position, as opposed to a 90-degree posture, which most people consider normal."

Dr. Bashir, who is also an author and clinical fellow in the Department of Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging at the University of Alberta Hospital, Canada, further added, "Sitting in a sound anatomic position is essential, since the strain put on the spine and its associated ligaments over time can lead to pain, deformity and chronic illness."

In their study, which was presented on Monday at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), the experts involved 22 healthy volunteers who had never suffered with back pain or undergone surgery.

They used a new form of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which was capable of taking snapshots of spines of study subjects who assumed three different sitting positions including a slouching position, an upright 90-degree sitting position and a "relaxed" position where the study subjects leaned back at an angle of 135 degrees while their feet remained on the floor.

After measuring the spinal angles, the arrangement and height of spinal discs and movement across the different positions, the radiologists discovered that the relaxed posture best sustained the spine’s natural shape. They also concluded that spinal disk movement occurs when weight-bearing strain is placed on the spine, causing the internal disk material to misalign.

Researchers found that the most common 90-degree upright sitting posture was more accountable for disk movement, followed by the 135-degree posture.

They also noticed that slouchers were at a high risk of causing wear and tear to spinal discs in their lower spine. But, those sitting upright also faired badly. The back vertical strain on the spine stimulates spinal disc material to move out of line.

After going through all test results, the researchers concluded that the 135-degree position fared the best. "This may be all that is needed to prevent back pain, rather than trying to cure pain that has occurred over the long term due to bad posture," said Dr. Bashir. "Employers could also reduce problems by providing their staff with more appropriate seating."

Backache is one of the most frequent complaints of mankind. Nearly nine out of ten adults experience back pain at some point in their life, and five out of ten working adults have back pain every year. It is the fifth most common reason for all physician visits in America.

A number of studies have earlier offered different solutions to ease back pain such as cognitive behavioural therapy, yoga, meditation, massage therapy and stretching.