Sitting down on a conventional chair can be torturous for people suffering from sciatica. Read more to learn about an amazing ergonomic solution to this chronic pain issue.
What is Sciatica?
For those of you who do not know, the sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the human body, running from the pelvis to the feet. Sciatica is a painful condition caused by the irritation or compression of this nerve, most commonly because of a lumbar slipped disc.
Besides the constant pain, numbness, and tingling in the buttocks and leg of the affected side, people suffering from this condition truly face a nightmare every time they have to sit. Using ergonomic chairs can therefore make a big difference.
What is a Kneeling Chair?
Unlike conventional chairs, where the spine is perpendicular to the floor, sitting on a kneeling chair maintains a 135 degrees angle between your spine and your thighs. This ‘kneeling posture’ is also called an open-angled posture.
Kneeling chairs (also known as ergonomic knee stools) are considered the best chair for sciatica because of the following reasons:
- When sitting on a kneeling chair, you not only support your upper body on your buttocks, but also take support from your leg below the knees. This increases the surface area in contact with the chair and reduces the pressure on your back and legs while sitting, thus relieving pressure on the sciatic nerve.
- Research has shown that having an open-angled posture while sitting greatly reduces the pressure on your lumbar spine, thighs and buttocks as compared to while sitting on conventional chairs. This is of main importance to people suffering from sciatica because the course of the sciatic nerve is along these anatomic parts of the human body.
- They improve blood circulation to your lower limbs, an area that is typically aversely affected in cases of sciatica.
Kneeling Chair Precautions
- It takes a while to get used to the new sitting posture, so approach patiently.
- It is a little time consuming to get in and out of the chair.
- Sitting on a kneeling chair for prolonged periods of time can affect your knees in the long run if precautions are not taken. It is always best to stretch your muscles every hour.
- These chairs only allow movement in the forward direction, so make sure you have everything in place, and within your reach, before you sit down.
Where to Buy a Kneeling Chair
As with everything in the market, it is always best to read reviews and top 5 lists before you buy one. And this is very important in the case of a kneeling chair because the sitting posture is so new that it can be a little uncomfortable in the beginning. This makes sense because we have been using conventional chairs since birth.
Additionally, since they are ergonomic chairs, they cost a little more than conventional chairs. So always compare prices before you make a purchase.
In the end, always remember that chronic lower back pain is a medical problem and needs proper medical treatment for its correction. So don’t forget to consult a physician regarding the same. But in the meantime using the best chair for sciatica can definitely make sitting down a lot easier and a lot less painful.
There are different reasons why back pain is experienced and unless the discomfort has been caused by a specific accident, such as a fall, or a sudden movement – it’s not always obvious where the pain could be coming from. It can have the tendency to linger, for long periods of time or radiate at different intervals and at varying levels of intensity. Given the nature of its unpleasantness, experiencing back pain is generally prolonged by the mental anguish that it brings along with it. Understanding how our body works, brings us a step closer to not only minimizing this pain but by taking adequate steps we can eliminate it in the future.
Depending on the severity of your back pain condition, your doctor may suggest that you have surgery if you have been suffering with ongoing back pain despite conventional treatments. There are a number of different surgical procedures for back pain. The type of surgery you will have will depend on the severity of the problem, although in general this nature of this invasive procedure is undertaken to correct nerve damage in the back as a result of a compressed or damaged disc.
Researchers say that the average American spends 75% of his or her waking hours sitting in a chair. With so much repetition, it becomes increasingly important that we become mindful of our sitting habits. Any activity that is sustained over hours at a time, deserves careful attention of its side effects.