Lumbar Support

Are you one of those people that work at a desk all day? Do you find after a certain amount of time sitting you start to get low back pain? Ever wonder why?

In this little article we will go over why someone’s low back hurts while sitting and some simple tips that are chiropractor and physiotherapist give to our patients. When people sit in regular chairs with minimal back support a person spine tends to straighten out or have a reversed curve. The lumbar spine (low back) is suppose to have a lordotic curve, which allows for proper force distribution through the spine.

When a reverse of the curve or a flattened curve occurs while sitting force changes in the low back. There will be a small amount of stress put on ligaments, muscles and intervertebral discs of the spine. This is fine for a short term, but over a prolonged period of time  ( 8 hours a day 5 days a week) this can lead to pain. The small amount of stress over a long period of time can create microtears, local inflammation and result in pain. This can lead to soft tissue pain, disc herniations and joint pain. This can present with pain sensations such as dull, ache and/or stiffness.

A simple way to correct this is using a ergonomic chair or an attachment that allows for lumbar support. What this does is fill in the space in your chair that will allow you to maintain your low back curve. This will prevent the low back from reversing the curve and will prevent any small abnormal forces going through the spine