A Correct Way to Sit that Provides Therapeutic Comfort to Your Spine

Your back or spinal column is the most important part of your skeletal body. Without your spinal column, functional mobility would be impaired and your comfort level in ergonomic sitting would greatly jeopardize your internal organs.

The main purpose of the spinal column is to maintain the erect posture of the human skeleton, for enabling functional mobility, such as standing, sitting and walking and to protect the internal organs from damage.

We have unique body for adapting to different conditions and for varying purposes. Mostly the adaptation is provided internally, without having to understand the process. Unfortunately, the spine is not included in this automatic protection and lays vulnerably open for damage.

Wikipedia describes 'sitting' as "a rest position supported by the buttocks or thighs where the torso is more or less upright". It would be better served to state that "sitting is an anatomical position of rest for the human body, when the weight of the body runs vertically from the head down through the spine to the pelvic bones".

When sitting with the spine in this position position, it allows the vertebrae to remain in a vertically erect without muscular support. A term created by myself as the "relaxed hold" that requires no muscular contractions, for maintaining a balanced sitting position."

Consider sitting on an upright bicycle and holding the handle bars. There is no back rest required and you will not have any discomfort, while cycling. You will sit firmly on your pelvic bones, because you will be using your legs to rotate the wheels and pedal you along.

If you want to learn how to sit in comfort without a backrest using this position, then my suggestion is to purchase a bicycle or a bicycle machine and learn how to ride a bicycle, so that you can sit without using a backrest.

Pedaling on a bicycle is a therapeutic process for relieving back pain, particularly on an authentic bicycle, where the vibrations of stones and gravel help to massage the vertebrae and dislodge any impinged nerves, relax tense muscles or knead strained ligaments into more corrective positioning.

Three years ago Vancouver suffered a very severe snowstorm that prevented me from performing any cycling during the winter. Walking was my only mode of transportation. The bad conditions however, caused me to slip and wrench my back in walking, by stopping myself from falling.

I could barely move the following day, so I want to see a spinal chiropractor. I told him that I had a leg length discrepancy from one leg being longer than the other by over one inch. This makes my pelvic bone lob-sided and a lateral curve in my spine.

After reviewing the X-rays of my spine, the chiropractor told me that my scoliosis was no longer visible; my spine was completely vertical, even though the pelvic bones were still uneven to each other.

He then told me "Whatever you are doing keep up the good work, as it is certainly working!" This was the first time and hopefully the last time that a chiropractor was ever needed for spinal treatment to my spine, because the bicycle is a much cheaper and more therapeutic method of relieving back pain for comfortable sitting all day.

Since I have taken up cycling, I have noticed that I know longer have bouts of sciatic pain radiating from my spine and down my left of right leg. Sitting on your pelvic bones is the best way that you can learn to feel comfortable and safe and helps in maintaining comfort in prolonged sitting.