You might love to sit on a soft chair, don’t you? But is it okay to sit in a soft chair? Will the soft chairs initiate back pain? Or sitting on a soft chair will provide the ultimate comfort your body desires? Ahh! So many doubts. Let me share my experience with you.
A Soft chair can cause back pain by leading towards poor posture and increasing the possibility of slouching while decreasing the blood. The natural shape of your spine transforms into a ‘C’ shape; when you sit like this for a longer period, you might experience back pain.
The article will familiarize you with your good posture and highlight the impacts a soft might have on your posture. You will get to know scientifically proven facts and tips that will help you in various ways. So, why the wait? Let’s begin.
How Can a Soft Chair Cause Back Pain?
Maintaining appropriate posture while sitting is mandatory. If you always sit in a poor posture, you will experience many side effects. Such poor posture initiates pain and hampers your physical wellbeing.
Is sitting on a soft chair bad? Soft chairs lack the structural support that holds you in a good posture, as there remains no lumbar support, back support, or neck & shoulder support. It becomes hard to sit properly without slouching. Therefore, sitting in a soft chair can have a harmful impact on your posture.
The movement will be restricted, and the blood circulation will also decrease. Moreover, the soft chair doesn’t hold your body; instead causes your back to fall back, letting your spine blend into a ‘C’ shape.
Although slouching is not bad, when it is not done in a continuous manner, the repeated bending can become pain-sensitive over time. The risk of damaging your disks becomes higher.
You might have bought a comfy sofa, and you love to watch TV sitting on that. However, in the long run, you might start to suffer from back pain or shoulder strain.
The only reason for that is that the soft and comfortable sofa made you sit in a reclining position without supporting your posture.
Soft chairs will always encourage you to slouch, which can be comfortable in the short run but will lead to severe problems in the future.
I highly recommend you to sit in a chair that will boost good posture and discourage slouching. If you want to know more why slouching is bad, check out this article on our site: Why is it More Comfortable to Slouch? (Is it Actually Bad?)
Nowadays, it is common to see many chair manufacturing companies manufacturing chairs without even thinking about the health benefits.
They are provoked by modern design and technology, which is why choosing the perfect chair becomes difficult.
Why is Sitting on a Soft Chair Bad For You?
Sitting in a soft chair is terrible for you for the following reasons:
- Compromises Posture
- It puts excessive pressure on your spine
- Decreases blood circulation
- Increases the chances of developing back pain
Sitting in a soft chair for too long in a poor posture or slumped position, I can guarantee you, you will suffer from tremendous pressure on your back.
The spinal ligaments will be overstretched, and the intervertebral discs will be pressurized. Trust me; this will lead to unbearable back pain.
Such complications can invite more health problems which is why it is recommended to avoid soft chairs.
How Do You Get Rid of Back Pain From Sitting All Day?
Office work, by its nature, is hectic. On top of that, sitting all day long encourages body pain. Now you might wonder how I can fix my back pain from sitting at my desk all day?
Just follow the Instructions Below:
- Change your sitting position frequently. You can have both a standing chair and a usual office chair so that you can sit on both turns by turn.
- Take a small walk around the office. It helps to relax your muscles and boost blood circulation.
- Try cold therapy to reduce inflammation. Only 20 minutes of application can help you relax.
- A heating Pad can be soothing when it comes to bringing blood to your back and reducing pain and inflammation.
- If the chair is uncomfortable, use a few techniques to make it comfortable. For example, use an ergonomic seat cushion to balance your back.
- Workout or yoga can help you heal from your pain. You can also try meditation.
- Getting a massage or massage on a massage chair can be helpful.
Related Questions
Is it Bad to Sit On a Hard Chair All Day?
Sitting on a hard chair all day is actually bad for your body. When you sit on a hard chair for a long time, you will experience pains in your legs and hips, aches in your lower back; when you try to move, it becomes difficult, and the pain slowly spreads towards other parts of the body.
Chairs are meant to be comfortable and carry ergonomic features. But hard chairs are most likely to lack ergonomic features.
Sitting for a more extended period in a hard chair invites pain and makes it harder to move. You will even find it difficult to stand up and move your body parts for a more extended period of time.
When you sit in a hard chair for a long time, you might suffer from coccydynia and extreme pain in the tailbone (coccyx).
Not only the tailbone pain, but you can also suffer from bones, and the surrounding muscles & tissues can also be injured.
Therefore, it is wise to avoid sitting in a hard chair.
Is a Hard or Soft Chair Better for Sciatica?
Both hard and soft chairs can cause Sciatica. Sciatica starts from a herniated disk, which occurs due to the slip out of the spinal disk and when the sciatic nerve is under pressure.
Sciatica can be experienced in the buttock, which can further transfer towards the side of the thighs or up to the back. The irritation on the sciatic nerve can cause numbness or tingling. I recommend you to read this article on Numbness Caused by Chairs, to get more information.
Therefore, no matter when you are sitting on a hard chair or a soft chair, if you don’t sit in a good posture and pressurize your lower back, you will suffer from Sciatica.
When the Sciatica becomes unbearable, I recommend you to do cold or hot therapy, yoga or stretching, and most importantly, sit in a proper posture.
Most pregnant women suffer from Sciatica, and if you are one of them or you require information about that, you can check out my article on How to sit in an office chair during pregnancy?
To be safe from Sciatica, I suggest you improve your sitting posture and avoid extremely hard or soft chairs. Its always better to buy an ergonomic chair to sit on.
Recommended Article: Best Ergonomic Office Chairs For Back Pain: A Complete Guide
How Do You Sit in an Uncomfortable Chair?
Chairs can be uncomfortable sometimes but using a few techniques, you can make your sitting arrangement comfortable.
Let me briefly give you some proven tips to convert the uncomfortable sitting arrangement into a comfortable one:
- Sit on the edge of an uncomfortable chair. Maintain the proper posture and keep your back straight. It can be troublesome when you are supposed to sit for a longer time but can be a great solution in a short period.
- Put a pillow or roll a towel and set it in between the chair and your back to make the chair a bit comfortable. It will help you to keep your upper body straight.
- When the chair surface is hard, use a memory pillow. It will hold your lower back and make your sitting arrangement comfortable.
- Lastly, when you are sitting for a more extended period, make sure to change the sitting pattern every 30 minutes. It will boost your blood circulation and reduce any body ache.
