Everyone who has ever worked an office job is no stranger to back pain. Spending the better part of the day in a chair in front of a computer is bound to take its toll on your body, especially if you don’t sit properly. Unfortunately, most office chairs are designed to make you sit in a way that’s opposite of the natural position of the body and puts pressure on the spine, leading to all sorts of health issues.
Luckily, today there is a variety of ergonomic office chairs designed to tackle this exact problem. Most ergonomic office chairs mainly focus on preventing back pain, and usually do not take into account the other problems that people sitting for long periods of time face. However, there is one specific type of ergonomic chairs that can offer a lot more health benefits than just preventing back pain – kneeling chairs.
At first you might completely disregard kneeling chairs as they have an unconventional design which might seem strange for people that are used to sitting on traditional chairs. But you shouldn’t! In fact, its dynamic and flexible design is the main reason why the kneeling chair is so good at preventing back pain. Unlike traditional chairs which are stationary, kneeling chairs tend to slightly move while you sit on them, which encourages you to engage your muscles. This so called “active sitting” engages your whole body in keeping itself upright, which significantly reduces the tension in your back.
Another unique benefit of the kneeling chair is that it keeps your knees bent and feet angled, which frees up the pelvic muscles. This way, your lower body maintains a healthy blood flow with all the tissues getting enough nutrients and oxygen. Bad circulation to the lower extremities can lead to a number of health issues ranging from joint pain to increased cholesterol levels, varicose veins, joint pain, and a variety of cardiovascular issues. The kneeling chair can help reduce the risk of circulatory complications connected to long-term sitting.
And lastly, this kind of ergonomic chair is great for developing your core muscle strength. Sitting for prolonged periods of time everyday results in weak core muscles. And unless you find enough time to exercise, there’s not much you can do about it. However, kneeling chairs activate your abdomen, lumbar, and obliques muscles to keep your body upright, which in turn gives you a good amount of core workout without even needing to get up from your chair. It can’t get more convenient than this!
