Many seats, particularly lounge chairs and car seats, force a sitting posture where the knees are higher than the hips. Sitting for prolonged periods with the hips bent more that 90 degrees can irritate painful conditions at the front of the hip, such as labral tears, osteoarthritis, femoroacetabular impingement and hip flexor related pain. Sitting in this position can also irritate pain around the side of the hip associated with gluteal tendinopathy or trochanteric bursitis (greater trochanteric pain syndrome). Using a posture wedge cushion lifts the hips higher than the knees, opening the front of the hips and relieving tension around the side of the hips. For many people, this can be an excellent tool for reducing hip pain in sitting.
Whether sitting in a low or normal height chair, some people naturally tend to sit with the pelvis rolled back quite a long way. This can alter where the pressure is distributed, but also the stretching forces around the back of the pelvis and the lower back. Sitting with the pelvis rolled back usually shifts the bodyweight further back. This places more pressure under the back of the sitting bones and the coccyx (the tip of the tailbone). Such sitting postures might increase tenderness of the hamstring tendons that join into the sitting bones, or pain in the coccyx region (coccydynia). Using a posture wedge cushion can reduce sitting pain in these situations by encouraging more even weight redistribution. For those with coccydynia, a cut out in the wedge cushion might also be required. A coccyx cushion is specifically designed for this purpose.
With the pelvis rolled back in sitting, there will also be more pressure on the muscles of the lower buttock and the nerves that pass through the buttocks and down into the legs. Pain associated with irritated nerves in the buttocks (Piriformis syndrome, Deep Gluteal Syndrome, Pudendal Neuralgia), may be aggravated when sitting for longer period in these postures. A posture wedge cushion can often assist in reducing nerve pain in sitting.
Sitting with the pelvis rolled back also increases the strain on certain ligaments of the lower back and pelvic joints. These forces are normal but if you are experiencing pain in the lower back or sacrum region in sitting, altering these forces can assist. A posture wedge cushion helps tip the pelvis a little further forward to take some pressure off sensitive ligaments, reducing back and pelvic pain in sitting
If you are naturally more flexible than others, you might have a tendency to sink into these more extreme ‘slouched postures.’ Working hard all day to hold yourself in more upright postures can be extremely fatiguing and become painful. The aim is to use the minimal amount of effort in sitting – to find a relaxed position where the body weight is well supported. By using a posture wedge cushion and ensuring you are sitting against your chairback, you can relax and allow the chair and your cushion to do the heavy work. The posture wedge cushion can then allow longer periods of sitting by reducing fatigue and muscle pain.
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