Here is another blog post from chiropractor, Dr. Mike Tannenbaum of Ann Arbor, Michigan.

An area that is often overlooked as a way to help avoid or decrease neck and back pain, but as a chiropractor a topic I'm constantly harping on, is having good sitting posture and good chair/sitting ergonomics.

Sitting for long periods of time can be hard on the back and neck. Sitting in one position for prolonged periods of time and/or having poor sitting posture can put tremendous pressure on the joints and discs of the back and neck. Proper sitting posture and ergonomics are imperative in maintaining a healthy back and neck. Below, are some specific suggestions we make at Tannenbaum Chiropractic in Ann Arbor to promote healthful sitting posture and to help avoid or reduce back and neck pain.

Sit in the your chair so that your bottom is all the way back in the chair while maintaining a straight back (and while maintaining the natural curves of your spine). You may need to use a thin pillow or rolled up towel to maintain the curve in your your low back (lumbar spine).

Your chair needs to be arraigned such that while sitting in the chair your legs bend at your knees at a right angle while allowing you to keep your feet on the ground. In addition, you should be sitting so that you have a space under your thighs, just behind your knees, to fit two fingers.

Your chair should have armrests that allow you to bend your arms 90 degrees at the elbow so that your forearms can rest on the armrests.

Make sure you have nothing in your back pocket, such as a wallet while your sitting or have anything placed on the chair that your sitting on that puts pressure on your pelvis that might effect your pelvic and/or spinal alignment.

While sitting in the chair keep your chin in, place your feet flat on the ground parallel to each other and make sure your chair is pulled in as close as possible to the desk in front of you.

I hope these suggestions about sitting posture and ergonomics can be used by you to help reduce your neck and back pain or help you avoid neck and back pain all together.

If you have any questions about chiropractic, this blog post, back pain, neck pain, or headaches I can be reached at my Ann Arbor Chiropractic office at