How To Sit Comfortably With Sciatica Nerve Pain
Do you want to know how to sit comfortably with sciatica nerve pain? OR best position/way to sit with sciatica? You are on the right spot.
Anyone who suffers from sciatica knows the nagging discomfort that comes from sitting at home, in the workplace or the gaming chair for a long time.
It can make life stressful for the person, and with the average office job requiring longer and more hours sticking to ill-equipped swivel seats, the amount of discomfort you’re in can escalate tenfold.
For those who endure it, Sciatica is extremely debilitating – a sharp, shooting pain that originates in the lower back and spreads down the legs. People will be paralyzed for weeks.
Contrarily to the wisdom received, sitting down would not ease this intense pain. That might make it a lot worse!
When the disc between the vertebrae loses its elasticity, it can bulge, herniate, or even prolapse to the side, pinching on the sciatic nerve while you’re sitting down. This turns sitting, an experience that is commonly believed to be soothing, into an unbearable torment.
But is there a way to comfortably sit with sciatica? What postures soothe and which ones make our sciatica worse? How do I increase my chair in a way that gives me the full amount of support and comfort during my working day?
Well, we can’t say we have all the solutions, but we have one or four of them. Below we’ll explore the physiological roots of sciatica, what the right postures are and what other things you can use on your break at work to ease sciatica discomfort.
What Is Sciatica?
Sciatica is a symptom, not a medical condition, which consists of pain caused by inflammation or pinching of one of the sciatic nerves, the longest nerves in the body.
They pass around the buttocks and down the legs with several origin points in the lower spine. Their location around too many moving parts makes them prone to getting rid of many problems in the back and pelvis in the wrong direction.
Sciatic nerve pain involves a variety of signs that can have a number of causes. These underlying problems can involve herniated or degenerating discs, spinal stenosis, misalignment of the lumbar spine or sacroiliac joint (at the base of the spine), or tightness of the piriformis muscle beneath the glutes.
Pain may show up in various forms and degrees of severity for different individuals, from sporadic and irritating to chronic and crippling.
Many lifestyle behaviors may cause or intensify issues, such as bad posture, lack of movement for looooong periods, stiffness, obesity, and persistent stress. Aging can also play a part in weakening bones and joints.
Sitting With Sciatica
Most people are aware of the phrase slipped disc so-called because your hips or spine are misaligned, causing you to appear lopsided, like one of the discs has ‘slipped out.’ This is not necessarily what happens, however.
The discs in your back cushion the space between the bones in your spine and are more like spongy balls than discs. These spongy parts are full of water, making them strong enough to support, but flexible enough to move with the form of the body.
You might realize in the morning that you feel a little rigid in your spine-this is partial because your discs are dehydrated! When the discs have less water, they go very hard and the gap between the vertebrae is considerably narrowed.
The inside of the disc is also softer and can leak out or ‘bulge’ from inside through the outer layer. So once you sit down, the spongy disc will be squeezed more, allowing it to bulge more and push harder on the sciatic nerve. This is why sitting with sciatica creates so much discomfort.
There are many chronic diseases and disorders that occur in the body after long hours of sitting, including muscle wastage, deep vein thrombosis, and piriformis syndrome. But it’s not always feasible to rise up and shake those pains of the working day.
How To Sit Comfortably With Sciatica?
Here are some techniques that you can reduce your pain while sitting with sciatica.
Best Sitting Position For Sciatica
To help relieve some of the tension, it’s important to know the correct sitting posture for sciatica, particularly when you’re working on a desk job. Most positions can help to prolong your lower back and help you get relief from persistent aches.
Sitting in certain positions can cause sciatica, particularly if your body is not balanced. Mostly, the main culprit is inappropriate posture. The technique to achieving comfort while sitting with sciatica is to understand proper sitting posture.
These are some best seating practices to alleviate sciatic nerve pain:
- Sit down straight with your back and buttocks touching the back of your chair. It is easier to get them back properly supported than to lean over.
- Sit down on the ground with both feet. Keeping your legs floated off the floor for a long time will put big pressure on your lower body.
- Pivot the chair When you need to turn around, rotate your chair with your body instead of turning your spine.
- Don’t cross your legs, Crossing your legs restricts the supply of blood in your lower body which can cause more numbness.
Other Ways To Sit With Sciatica
Here are some valuable tools for you to alleviate sciatica pain:
Change your position frequently.
Most cases of sciatica are attributed to excessive sitting, poor posture, and weak core muscles. When you have a sciatica flare-up, make sure you switch between sitting, standing, and lying down. If possible, consider repeating after 15 minutes.
Don’t sit back for a long time.
Sitting induces additional pressure on the sciatica nerve as it passes down to the leg behind the gluteus muscles. Stop sitting on a soft sofa for a long time or on hard chairs. If you can, try walking outside for 10-15 minutes or on a treadmill at a comfortable speed.
Increase the flexibility of your spine.
Having a solid, versatile spine is vital to your optimal health and performance. However, it is very important to know the best exercises for your sciatica or back pain, as more harm can occur if the exercises are performed incorrectly. This is where the experience of a physical trainer will be a tremendous benefit to you.
Boost the mobility and strength of the hip.
Our hips move through a very wide range of motion. However, frequently seated in front of a screen or watching TV all day, our ligaments and muscles around the hips tense up, leading to a lack of mobility. While this lack of motion does not seem apparent, it does change the tension and pressure on the spine. Boost your hip mobility and strength to relieve the pressure on the sciatica nerve.
Few Tips For Good Posture
There are a number of posture-correcting techniques that can help to alleviate discomfort in the temperamental sciatic nerve.
A Straight Spine And Flat Feet
Push your back to the chair as far as you can, making sure the bottom of your back is in direct contact with the inside corner of the chair. Be sure your feet are in line with the floor, shoulder-width apart, and your legs are not dangling.
If you found that your legs are hanging, you might have a chair that’s too high for your height. Dangling your legs will lead you to slouch and place more pressure on your back and legs.
Foot & Knee Elevation
If your feet don’t hit the ground, you may want to invest in a tiny stool. A lot of chiropractors would recommend you have your knees down to the ground. It all depends on comfort, however, the hard and fast rule for posture is: if it gives you discomfort, change your position.
Crossing the Legs
Some people find that crossing their legs helps to support their sitting posture and their back. You should definitely try this theory, just make sure you’re not sitting lopsidedly because this would allow the body to overcompensate and stretch the back muscles on the side that does all the work.
Best Living Room/Office Chairs For Sciatica
We have compiled a list of the Best Chair For Sciatica Nerve Problems that you can buy in 2024.
Herman Miller Classic Aeron Chair
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Our top pick is the Herman Miller Aeron task chair, made by one of the world’s leading furniture firms. Already a symbol of office chairs, the Aeron was remastered by Herman Miller Company in 2017 to perfectly suit contemporary work environments.
Its ergonomic waterfall edge architecture and top craftsmanship offer optimum protection and comfort, encouraging improved spinal health. It suits your body, gives you proper balance, and reduces backpressure, joint discomfort, and pain.
The mid-back design of Herman Miller Aeron gives support from your back to your shoulder blades. It features a proprietary PostureFit design that protects the base of your spine, helping you achieve a natural forward tilting to avoid slouching.
It also features 3D armrests that are connected to the backrest so that you can step naturally and keep a comfortable stance. It’s completely adjustable from up and down and left to right. You will have the option of either regular or leather armrests for upholstery.
Instead of the normal foam padding, the Herman Miller Aeron is covered with a soft, durable, and supportive 8Z Pellicle fabric. It’s strong, not cushiony.
The woven pellicle mesh covers 8 spots in the chair to help keep you cool and cozy while allowing the normal flow of air, steam, and body heat.
Steelcase Leap Fabric Chair
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The Steelcase Leap Office Chair is a beautiful, flexible chair with cutting-edge features. Recommended for everyone, but particularly for people who have sciatica.
In our opinion, the Steelcase Leap is the best sciatica pain office chair on the market today. In addition to being masterfully crafted, there is a wide variety of hard-hitting ergonomic features that not only help alleviate sciatic nerve pain. but can help make the entire back feel healthier in general.
Even better, you can select from a range of colors, upholstery choices, and extras that help you to fully customize your new favorite chair.
One thing to note here is that Steelcase currently has a range of items that bear the name of Leap, including the Leap Chair, the Leap Plus Chair, the Leap Chair with Headrest, the Leap Chair, and the Leap Work Lounge.
We are not considering either the Leap Stool or the Work Lounge in this review. However, all the chairs are functionally identical to each other, with the main distinction being the central statistics that guide each model.
This chair doesn’t look like something unusual at first sight. The designers kept to the norm on the overall look of the chair, which is actually a good thing because it makes it easier for Leap to fit smoothly into almost every home setting.
For instance, when you place your order, you can choose from three different upholstery choices, including a breathable mesh-like fabric, a 3D knitted fabric, or a sewn fabric.
Also remember, the Leap product range comes with a variant that features a headrest, plus you can buy a Leap ottoman if you want, which allows you a way to keep your legs up at different points.
Modway EEI-757-BLK Articulate Ergonomic Mesh Office Chair
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Not only is Modway’s office chair upright, but it’s also incredibly comfortable with a mesh fabric. Both the back height and the seat depth are adjustable, which is not all that unusual in itself.
However, if you consider that the armrests are also adjustable, it’s very easy to get enthusiastic about this chair. Unfortunately, most people considered adjustable back height and seat depth are the only comfort factors.
However, a good chair should serve beneficial means, such as helping to alleviate sciatica pain. This is something Modway’s chair is doing well. Along with all the customizable functions, the Modway Articulate Ergonomic Mesh office chair features tilting tension and lock control, whether you need to incline or decline.
The primary aspect of the chair is all the interchangeable components that contribute to making it the best chair for sciatica nerve problems. Combined with a terrific warranty covering the replacement pieces. It is easy to like the fact that the manufacturer seems to be confident in the quality of manufacturing.
The Modway Articulate Ergonomic Mesh chair is built to provide each customer with a customized seating position. You can make all the changes you need, making this chair exceptional for your ideal stance.
Final Words
Although the best way to sit with sciatica is just to help you deal with the pain, the best thing you can do to treat sciatica is to contact your doctor or health care provider to get a correct diagnosis. The earlier you try things out, the better your odds are to relieve the suffering once and for all.
![How to Choose The Best Chair for Sciatica Pain in 2024 [Buying Guide]](https://chairpicks.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/How-to-Choose-The-Best-Chair-for-Sciatica-Pain-.jpg "How to Choose The Best Chair for Sciatica Pain - How to Choose The Best Chair for Sciatica Pain in [year] [Buying Guide] - ChairPicks")