MONDAY, Nov. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Reclining backward in a chair while working at a desk may be healthier for the back than the standard recommendation to sit upright, according to research presented this week at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago.
Waseem Amir Bashir, M.B.Ch.B., F.R.C.R., of the University of Alberta Hospital in Canada, and colleagues used a positional magnetic resonance imaging machine to study 22 healthy volunteers with no history of back pain or surgery in three different sitting positions: slouching or hunching forward, sitting upright at 90 degrees, and reclining backward at 135 degrees with feet remaining on the floor.
The researchers found that spinal disc movement was least pronounced in the 135-degree posture and most pronounced in the 90-degree upright sitting posture, suggesting that a relaxed position places less strain on spinal discs and associated muscles and tendons. The slouching or hunching position reduced spinal disc height, which could cause wear and tear on the lowest two spinal levels, leading the researchers to conclude that the 135-degree position is least likely to cause chronic back problems.
"We have adapted a small plain radiography study from 53 years ago and shown the best biomechanically and anatomically 'neutral' sitting position using positional MRI," the authors write. "It is well known that a relationship exists between seating posture and back pain and therefore this study has provided data that will help to reduce the incidence of chronic back problems from bad sitting positions."
Abstract
