Stop for a moment and notice how you are sitting right now!
No matter what your mother may have told you, sitting up straight requires a stable, balanced position of the pelvis.
As technology keeps us strapped to computers and electronic devices, more of us are sitting for longer periods of time than ever before. And our health is suffering the consequences.
A correctly placed pelvis is the foundation of a good sitting posture. Without the right position, it is very difficult to have good posture.
Let me show you how!
SITTING POSTURE:
Good posture means that the key parts of a person’s body are correctly aligned and supported by the right amount of muscle tension. When sitting we need to try to keep out neck, shoulders, hips (pelvis) , knees and ankle align to promote a good functionality of out body, or else…
There are two fundamental mistakes made with regards to pelvic position when sitting and they both have an effect in compromising the position in which the lower back is held. The pelvis should ideally sit in what is known as neutral position (3) When in this neutral pelvic alignment, the lumbar spine is able to sit in its normal gentle lordosis curve.
However, a tilt of the pelvis posteriorly (backwards) (2) may cause the lower back to round into flexion creating a kyphosis (C shape), which results in the spinal ligaments and muscles being under extra stretch and tension. There is also more pressure on the front of the intervertebral discs. This directly put pressure onto the delicate nerves, causing pain amongst other problems.
On the reverse scenario, a tilt of the pelvis anteriorly (forwards) (1) forces the lumbar spine to increase its natural curvature in order to keep the torso upright and balance it properly. This will increasing the natural curve of the lower back (S shape). This tights of the muscles of the lower back leading to pain and stiffness in the movement here.
We can try to mitigate this!
Let’s me teach you how to have the pelvis on the neutral position!
As we pass most of out time of the day sitting let me teach you a simple way on how to sit properly, so we can have good alignments of our body segments. It starts with the foundation: your sit bones. They are at the base of your pelvis and hold your lower back steady underneath your ribcage, shoulder blades and neck. Finding them is the key!
Try to sit with you hand underneath your buttocks and start rocking back and forward until you feel a protuberance touching your hand – these are the sitting bones. Let me show you:
Next step is to try to find the balance between the pressure that is done on your sitting bones. Once you find it, slide your hands out and tcha-tchan you are sitting straight. this is making you have an aligned pelvis when sitting!
Remember to do this every time you sit so you can prevent aches and pain during or workday. 🙂