A lot of people are not so keen on the right postures to assume when sitting, standing, walking, reading, writing, typing, and even texting. Every activity in general has its specific posture. It would be surprising to know that bad postures do exist and can be detrimental to musculoskeletal health, leaving aches and pains in its trail during or after certain activities.
Too much attention is being paid to the look, colour and stylishness of sofas before actual comfortability when sitting is considered.
What is posture?
Posture simply means the configuration of a body; how a body is set up/ stacked up/ aligned or built.
•Foam density of about 2.4. Foam density is a measure that indicates the weight the foam can support per cubic foot.
•A good sofa should hold you in an upright position, vertically aligning your ears over your shoulders and shoulders over your hips.
•A good sofa should allow your feet to rest on the floor whilst your back is against the back support (in the absence of a foot rest).
When sitting on a sofa:
•Avoid the hermit crab pose or the slouch; curled or tucked in with a curved shaped spine.
•If the cushions are too deep to allow the sitter’s buttocks reach the back support, that space can be filled in with soft pillows. This will help shorten the gap and help lengthen the spine when you sit with the buttocks touching the back support.
•In the absence of a neck rest, pillows can be placed just above the shoulder level to prevent the neck from being titled overly backwards or forwards as this will put a strain in the neck.
•Recline! This is another great way to enjoy sofa time especially when watching television. Recline with pillows to support your spine in whatever position taken. Support should be at the neck/head, shoulders, back and waist or hips.
The human body was designed to move and not remain in a fixed position. It is important to be aware of your posture at all times, making changes where necessary. This consciousness will prevent aches and pains where least expected.
THE SLOUCH
As comfortable as this posture is, it’s not healthy for the back.The slouch is the most common abnormal posture found in sitting and sometimes standing. Although, it is normal to slouch from time to time, this done in a prolonged situation causes a “C” shaped posture which can result in abnormal loading of the spinal column and in the long run, pain and injury.
Slouched sitting often leads to:
•Forward head position,
•Rounded shoulders,
•Rounded spine,
•Posterior pelvic tilt.
Although, a soft sofa my seem comfortable and relaxing,Physiotherapists know that they lead to discomfort later on in life and this is partly due to fact that a soft sofa promotes the SLOUCH.
Sitting is a body position in which the weight of the body is transferred to the pelvis (a mass of bone that connects the upper body to the lower body) and its surrounding soft tissue i.e.,the buttocks. Although, there is no single ideal sitting position as there are a variety of chairs and other furniture that allow different users to each sit in a variety of postures, there is an ideal posture which is the best posture that would or will impose the least potential stress and provide postural comfort.
Regular or Ergonomic Sofas?
Like ergonomic pieces of office furniture, an ergonomic sofa is designed with the user in mind and has more benefits than regular sofas.Ergonomic sofas put into consideration your body configuration for easy and safe use. These sofas have been proven to reduce the risk of muscle and ligament strain which in turn reduces pain and helps get better sleep at night.
What to look out for in a good sofa?
•Should be firm and not hard to sit on like a wooden bench. With firm cushioning, it will be able to support body weight over a range of compression periodically.
Author-
Eniola Josiah, a Lagos based Physiotherapist from the University of Lagos, Lagos.
[email protected].
Eniola blogs at the thepawsiniative.org. An online community aimed at creating awareness for Physiotherapy and its role in the prevention and management of Non-communicable diseases
