Health Tips (cont.)

Proper Sitting Posture
While many people are careful to use correct posture while standing, they will often slouch back on a sofa or forward at a desk with no thought to painful spinal consequences. It is true that slouching can bring a measure of relief from fatigued muscles that have been held in one position for a long period. However slouching can radically alter the proper S-curve of the spine. Over time, this type of stress can cause subluxation, disk herniation and/or accelerated disk or joint degeneration. Proper sitting posture is essential to the prevention of backache. Unfortunately, most chairs are designed more for appearance than for comfort. This is especially true of office furniture. Although the new field of ergonomics (the science of adapting the working environment to suit the worker) is making steady progress in this area, it may not be soon enough to save your back.