How To Sit Comfortably With A Herniated Disc

A herniated disc can wreak havoc on everyday life with improper management. Typically, you can alleviate and cope with the discomfort via self-care and changing your habits and lifestyle. Nonetheless, you may require assistance from pain management services to diagnose and treat chronic aches.

What are some of the elements you can consider to ensure you can comfortably sit with a herniated disc?

1. Avoid Sitting Too Much

Sometimes a herniated disc can trigger such discomfort that you think you cannot function anymore. Some may think you need to jump to a drastic solution like surgery. However, you can often correct the situation using simple adjustments, like not sitting too much.

Sitting for long periods is not advised if you suffer from a herniated disc. It places more stress on your spinal discs, worsening the pain. You can maintain comfort by regularly moving around or standing up from your seat. It is also advisable to lie down whenever possible to allow the ligaments to relax and discs to decompress.

Taking breaks lets you stroll around your office or outside whenever possible. Answering or making phone calls while standing or walking around your space is another excellent opportunity to stop sitting. You can also activate a reminder on your phone or laptop to alert you of break times.

2. Get the Furniture and Accessories

Getting the right chair and desk is vital to ensuring you can comfortably sit with a herniated disc. You want to get a chair with an ergonomic height, letting you keep your feet flat on the floor. If it is too high, you can get a portable footrest and use it to keep your feet level.

Besides changing furniture, another option is to get a rolled-up towel or a small pillow to support your lower back. You can place it between the arch of your lower back and the chair for maximum effect.

3. Sit with the Right Posture

Sit using the correct posture, with your back firmly placed against the chair back. It is proper to sit up straight without slouching. When you slump, you put extra pressure on the discs in the spine and can aggravate your herniated disc.

Additionally, you want to ensure your knees are level with your hips. Your hips should be slightly above your knees if you sit at a desk. This posture gives a forward tilt that helps relax your low back muscles.  

A herniated disc can worsen from poor sitting habits, such as slouching or sitting uninterrupted for hours. It is vital to adopt different strategies to manage a herniated disc and improve daily life. Sitting creates the highest compressive force, making it critical to use the proper posture to alleviate pain. 

4. Use Pain Management Services

When dealing with more severe herniated disc aches, you can turn to pain management services. Facilities that offer these services, such as St. Louis Pain Consultants, feature a professional staff with advanced training in pain treatment. We use expertise to diagnose, treat, and rehabilitate people with chronic pain. Professional pain management facilities are skilled at treating chronic aches.