The true source of lower back pain

The true source of lower back pain

A must for every computer chair user

If you spend hours at a computer, even in a very good ergonomic chair, you probably care deeply about your lower back health. However, if you are still experiencing back pain and discomfort, I strongly recommend that you take a moment and read this material. You will see where the pain and tension really come from. Awareness and understanding of the true source will help you make a right decision.

Over the last 30 years, low back pain syndrome has created an entire industry and it is growing. Pharmaceutical medications, chiropractor treatments, physical and massage therapies, countless devices that eliminate or relieve pain and tension. Many of these therapies and devices are well thought out and very effective. The pain or tension goes away, but only temporarily. The pain cannot be permanently eliminated simply because none of these treatments or devices get to the core of the problem. The truth is that the cause of the problem is not and never has been in a human body. The human body is merely the effect. The root of the problem lies in the body's interaction with, in this case, a computer. The problem lies in optimizing the interaction between the operator and the computer. However, if the “tuning” is not done correctly, the operator’s body always pays the price. In this segment, we go straight to the source of low back pain to find out how it can be effectively relieved or prevented. Let's start our journey to the lower back area.

Spinal and pelvic relations

The human spine comes from a large bone called the pelvis, to which it is very well connected. The position of the pelvis plays a very important role in the shape and ultimately the health of the entire spine. Here's how it works. When standing, the pelvis is in a vertical, neutral position. This upright position of the pelvis keeps the spine in a tension-free shape, the healthy shape resembles the letter “S”. The spine, pelvis and legs form a straight vertical line. This “S” shape of the spine also keeps the vertebrae in position in a neutral and healthy alignment with each other. This alignment maintains minimal pressure on the discs. This pressure within the discs plays a very important role in keeping the lower back healthy and pain-free

Intervertebral pressure explained

Intervertebral discs are donut-shaped rings between the vertebrae that act as shock absorbers. However, if there is too much pressure or uneven pressure, they tend to bulge.

But where does the pressure come from that can bulge or damage the intervertebral disc?

Pressure in the intervertebral discs increases when the spine loses its natural curvature and remains static for long periods of time. Sitting on an incorrect computer chair is an example of this form. Intervertebral discs are very resilient and flexible. They can withstand enormous pressure. However, the persistent and uneven pressure within the intervertebral discs caused by incorrect posture of the upper body when sitting dramatically increases the risk of a disc bulge. This mainly happens in the lower back area. The bulging (outward) disc often begins to press on adjacent nerve roots. This pressure on the nerves usually results in pain. The pain does not always occur in the lower back. It can also occur on other parts of the body. For example, if the bulging disc presses on the sciatic nerve, pain sensations occur in the leg. It's worth repeating again:

Most lower back pain and discomfort originates from an improperly supported spine when sitting in a poorly designed or adjusted computer chair.

About 90 percent of disc bulges occur in the lower back of the spine. The most common lumbar disc bulge occurs between the L4 and L5 lumbar vertebrae and between the L5 and S1 vertebrae, causing pain in the L5 or S1 spinal nerve. Obviously, there are other causes of lower back pain than just a bulging disc, but in most cases the underlying problem is sitting in a computer chair that is not designed for prolonged sitting or is not properly adjusted.

Lumbar support misunderstanding explained

It is very important to focus on this part. A traditional computer chair equipped with lumbar support may not be as ergonomically correct as most computer users and the office chair industry think.

When sitting in a traditional ergonomic chair with lumbar support, the lower spine often becomes distorted. In the last paragraph we talked about the pelvis and how important it is for proper spinal alignment. With office seats with lumbar support, the pelvis and its backward movement are completely neglected. When we get into a sat-up position, the unsupported pelvis is not stable and has a natural tendency to rotate backwards. It does it because when sitting, the pelvis cannot stand upright on its own like it does when standing, unless we use muscles to keep it straight. This backward movement pulls the lower spine (lumbar region) towards the back of the chair. At the same time, the traditional lumbar support hump pushes the lower back in the opposite direction. These forces create tension between the vertebrae in the lower back. This is why many people often still experience lower back pain or at least discomfort when sitting on a computer chair with lumbar support. This explains why lower back pain reaches detrimental levels in the Western world. But there is a solution.

The solution for healthy sitting

Instead of one lumbar support that the typical ergonomic chair comes with, there are two fully adjustable back supports. The lower one serves to stabilize the pelvis and prevent it from its natural tendency to move backwards, as already mentioned. On this support, the pelvis always remains in an upright position, as if we were standing. This vertical alignment of the pelvis always preserves the natural “S” shape of the spine and virtually eliminates any risk of low back pain and other related conditions. The other important part of this computer chair is the upper (thoracic) support. It stabilizes the upper body and helps maintain proper posture including the chest, neck and head in an upright position. It promotes proper breathing and effectively prevents a condition called round shoulders. These and a number of other benefits of thoracic support are discussed in detail in the second article.

Sitting on this truly ergonomic chair and maintaining this posture requires no effort. When adjusted correctly, this computer chair supports the user very well. The user can remain in this healthy, stress-free and comfortable position for long periods of time.

The chest support is adjusted to be placed 1 to 5 inches below the shoulder blades so that the computer user's arms, shoulders and shoulder blades never touch the back of the chair while working on the computer. This gives the computer user more freedom of movement for the arms. It also promotes correct, completely stress-free posture.

Thanks to these two independent and multi-adjustable back supports and the True Pressure Free seat cushion, this computer chair user can sit for hours without pain, tension, discomfort or tension. As a end result, the healthy body will always achieve better results in terms of productivity and efficiency.

Inspired by George J Szatkowski