May 30 2007
Pain in the back of the legs
The back of my legs (thigh area) get very painful after sitting for a while. Do you have some advice as to what will take the pressure off my legs while I’m sitting?
There are 3 things that commonly can cause pain in the back of your legs when sitting.
You can try making one change only per day. The one that takes away or reduces your discomfort is the one that is most important for you.
They are:
1. When the seat pan pushes against the back of your knee. This causes muscle tension in the back of your leg.
Solution: If the seat pan presses on the back of your knees, this will cause leg stress and tension. It will cause you to be fatigued and that leg tension over a period of months will travel up your legs and cause low back discomfort, eventually going all the way to your neck. The solution is simple. Either get a chair with a shorter seat pan so it’s not pressing on the back of your knees or place a pillow or a piece of foam behind you. This will bring you forward and will keep the seat pan from pressing against the back of your knees.
2. When the seat height has your heels off the ground. This causes you to constantly contract leg muscles to hold the position leading to leg tension
Solution: Adjust the chair height so you feet are flat on the floor with your knees slightly lower than the hips. When your legs are in the posture in this position there is minimal stress, tension and fatigue. If the seat is too low and the knees are higher than the hips that will cause a closed angle at the knees which will then result in decreased blood flow to the lower leg.
The decreased blood flow to the lower leg will then result in leg tension. This tension can travel as pain over a period of months up the legs to the hips, to the low back causing low back discomfort, and can even eventually travel up the back all the way to the neck.
Now if the seat is too high the toes or balls of the feet are on the floor and the heels are up off the floor. Unconsciously you are going to be contracting muscles to hold you in an uncomfortable posture and this can cause leg tension and pain.
If you have a proper seat height there’s going to be minimal stress in your legs, you’ll be less fatigued at the end of a work day and there will be less chance of having injury and discomfort in your legs, back and neck.
3. Not supporting your low back curve. This can cause a nerve irritation which causes a pain in the back of your legs. This is actually the most common cause of pain in the back of your legs from sitting.
Solution: To determine where to place the pillow to support the low back curve, this is what you do. Sit up straight and arch your back by sticking out your belly. Put your hand behind you and run your hand up and down your back and feel where the deepest part of your curve is. It’s usually higher than you think with most people.
This is where you need to have your low back support. You are supporting your natural curve. So arch your back as I’ve described. Put you hand back there and feel where the deepest part of your curve is, and that’s where your low back support is going to go. Now what should you use for low back support? Many chairs have built into them a low back support. You simply adjust the height so it’s exactly in this curve.
Other options are you can buy a lumbar pillow, and there are three or four different styles. You want to have access to several of them and try the one which feels most comfortable to you.
Finally, the one that most commonly is used, simply roll up a towel and place rubber bands around it to hold it in place and use that as a pillow for your low back.
Now whether you are using the support build into the chair, a commercial pillow or a rolled up towel, you now know where to place it. But how big should it be?
It’s as simple as this. It should be the most comfortable size. So try using different-sized pillows or different-sized rolled up towels. The correct size for you will obviously feel better as soon as you sit with it.
Do the 2 low back stretches every 15-20 when sitting at your computer. Both will take a combined 10 seconds to perform and you can do them without getting up from your workstation. They are the seated low back extension and the knee pull.
I am confidant this will reduce or eliminate the pain. If it does not, you may have a condition that requires treatment and you will need to see a doctor to get appropriate evaluation and treatment. Then the techniques in www.WorkPainFree.com will keep it from returning.
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