November 28, 2006
From the desk of Jane Galt:Sit up straight--NOT!
Via Futurepundit comes a study backing up what I already knew . . . leaning back is more comfortable for your back then sitting up straight. In fact, sitting up straight is the worst thing you can do; even slouching forward is better.
I work prone whenever possible; the most comfortable work seat I've ever had is a curved chaise lounge bought on deep discount from Maurice Villency. (Not by me). I can work for ten hours and get up without a trace of stiffness.
Posted by Jane Galt at November 28, 2006 1:48 PM | TrackBack | Technorati inbound links"); ?>I prefer office hammocks, but that is just me.
p.s. A nod to the writers of the "The Simpsons".
Posted by: Yancey Ward on November 28, 2006 1:56 PMGalen Cranz has a book called The Chair, in which she largely argues for the 135 degree position. Note, though, that it doesn't necessarily have to be reclined -- the same positioning can be achieved upright with a kneeling chair, a saddle chair, a high seat with a sloped front end, a large ball, etc. She then points out the problem that the rest of the office (desk, etc.) are designed around the traditional chair and so they may have to be adjusted as well. Very interesting book, overall.
Posted by: JewishAtheist on November 28, 2006 2:11 PMShouldn't an English major know that the term is chaise-longue and not chaise lounge? (tease tease)
Posted by: Rex on November 28, 2006 3:39 PMI'd wondered about this one for years. A dramatic slouch, a very curved spine, has always been the most comfortable position for me.
Occasionally someone would tell me that I would ruin
my back. And yet here I am all these years later,
still no back trouble.
I wonder how the wrong idea got started?
The researchers studied 22...They studied 22 people.
...healthy volunteers with no history of back pain or surgery.Not a representative sample. Not chosen randomly. No control.
The patients assumed three different sitting positions...In three positions.
Sample size of 22. Unrepresentative. Not random. No control. In only three positions.
Forgive me for not throwing my chairs away just yet.
Posted by: bob montgomery on November 28, 2006 4:10 PMAnd while we're throwing anecdotes around, I'll toss mine in the ring: my back is most comfortable when lying down or dramatically reclining (I don't often wake up in the morning with an aching back), moderately comfortable when sitting up straight, and hurts like hell if I sit slouched for any period of time.
Posted by: bob montgomery on November 28, 2006 4:13 PMbob,
22 is a large enough sample for something like this. Why do people always complain about sample sizes between ten and a few thousand? The entire point of statistics is so that you don't need to sample 1% of the population to say something meaningful.
What does it even mean to have a control for a study like this? They put people into a certain position and then took a measurement. Would the control group not get a measurement taken? Or would they just be in any random positon? Neither is relevant.
And it makes perfect sense to limit the test to healthy people - people can have all sorts of different types of spinal problems; healthy spines are more similar.
Posted by: dan on November 28, 2006 4:20 PMProne? How in God's name do you do that?
Did you mean "supine"?
Posted by: Charlie (Colorado) on November 28, 2006 4:54 PMThis brings up my major Jane Galt peeve: Megan asked for our reccommendations for an office chair about a year ago, but she refused to divulge which chair she finally bought!
(As you can tell, if this is my biggest peeve, my customer satisfaction rating is pretty high, despite the destruction that Howard Roark has wreaked on the architecture profession.)
Posted by: Peter VE on November 28, 2006 5:34 PMI wonder if many people still use kneeling chairs. They seem so 80's.
Posted by: Peter on November 28, 2006 10:21 PMPeter, I'm sitting on a kneeling chair right now. It was recommended (ordered, actually) by my physical therapist, but not for my back. I have problems with my hips that were exacerbated by the way I would sit in a regular chair -- most times one leg up and the other down, twisting my hips out of alignment.
The kneeling chair does get tiring after a while. It would be nice to be able to lean back from time to time. But I have to admit it has really helped.
Posted by: Joan on November 29, 2006 2:16 AMSitting up straight is the right posture according to Yoga principles.An almost straight backbone will facilitate spinal perfectness.Yoga prescribes sitting postures like PADMASANA, VAJRASANA, SUKHASANA etc which will relieve you of your backpains.With controlled breathing techniques(PRANAYAMA),these sitting yogic postures will keep you healthy.
Posted by: G.V.Varma on November 29, 2006 11:07 AMI will geekily mention that the helm and navigation stations on the Enterprise in Star Trek: The Next Generation had 135 degree (or thereabout) seats. I always thought that looked very comfortable.
Speaking of comfort -- the other day I went looking at office chairs, and they had little comfort ratings on them: "This chair is comfortable for X hours a day." Unfortunately, they didn't go into double digits.
Posted by: Angie Schultz on November 29, 2006 11:24 AM> Prone? How in God's name do you do that?
I push my head over the edge of the bed, dangling slightly. My hands are also over the edge, turning pages, and such. My toes are usually playing with something (my mom once got a picture of my toes up in the air playing with scissors while I was studying).
Posted by: jens on November 29, 2006 1:05 PMDear Jane Galt, That little black logo to the left of 'From' certainly doesn't seem to be slouching?
Posted by: Lance on November 29, 2006 2:17 PMI think it's funny how you almost apologize for the brand of chair you got. But you just had to mention the name.
Posted by: judson on November 29, 2006 3:58 PMM, here is a set of ergonomicly correct recommendations for typing while in seating position.
You can seat straight, slouch or rock back and forth - as long as your spine has adequate lumbar support, you'll feel fine.
It's my professional opinion.
Posted by: Tatyana on November 30, 2006 12:25 AMMy experience from piano practice is that the best thing you can do for your back is sit tall, lean slightly forward, don't let your head go too far forward... and only practice 10 minutes at a time, with five minute breaks to lie down, untill you have the stamina to go longer without severe discomfort. Don't let your creativity run too far away from your body.
Posted by: Joe Marier on November 30, 2006 6:09 PMOh, and if you're on a sales call, always lean back. Leaning forward is too eager, sitting straight up says you're nervous.
Posted by: Joe Marier on November 30, 2006 6:15 PM