It's not only important to sit in a proper chair when working at a desk but it's also important to sit in a proper form. MRI studies of students found that the best form is to sit at a 135° angle body-thigh position instead of the supposedly normal 90° position. (The knees should be lower than hips so that the spine forms a 135° angle with the thighs and the upper body leans forward slightly.) This position puts the least strain on the spinal disks and back muscles. Could it be time for an ergonomic chair.
Those of us who spend many hours sitting at a desk should take this into account, especially if working from home (chances are that you won't get an ergonomic chair at the office). This could be part of the reason why so many suffer from chronic back pain, spasms, slipped spinal disks, etc. In the meantime, taking frequent breaks from sitting down and stretching can make a difference, since the human body wasn't meant to be sitting for hours at a time. Let's start treating our spines with care.
