What makes chairs so awful for the body? That’s a complicated question to answer, because different chairs get different things wrong. Uncomfortable chairs typically put adverse pressure on some part of the body or require excessive muscular work in order to sit. This can cause soreness and encourage the sitter to adopt slouched postures that restrict circulation, impede respiratory and intestinal function, and lead to musculoskeletal injuries.
No one even knows what a “good” chair would have to do, hypothetically, let alone how to make one. Some ergonomists have argued that the spine should be allowed to round forward and down in a C-shaped position to prevent muscular strain, but this pressurizes the internal organs and can cause spinal discs to rupture over time. Others advocate for lumbar support, but the forced convexity that this creates is not much better in the short run and can be worse in the long: it weakens the musculature of the lumbar region, increasing the likelihood of the very injuries it’s meant to prevent. There are similar debates over seat height, angle and depth; head, foot and arm support; and padding.
If chairs are such a dumb idea, how did we get stuck with them? Why does our culture demand that we spend most of every day sitting on objects that hurt us? What the hell happened?
It should be no surprise to readers of Jacobin that the answer lies in class politics. Chairs are about status, power, and control. That’s why we like them. Ask any furniture historian about the origins of the chair and they’ll gleefully tell you that it all started with the throne.
Some time in the Stone Age, probably between 6,000 and 12,000 years ago, high-status individuals in some cultures began to sit on small raised platforms, just large enough to hold a single person and with a backrest to support or frame the sitter. This was an effective way to designate elevated status among people who otherwise sat on the ground – much more so than stools, which lacked a back, and benches, which accommodated more than one person. The earliest evidence of these primitive thrones comes from figurines excavated in southeastern Europe, but single-person seats with a back were important status symbols in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, as well.
Kazuya Mishima wrote:they can pry the bacon from my cold dead hand.
Terry B. wrote:That's actually fairly interesting. I don't have that many chairs in my apartment and the ones that I do have, I don't really like.
Standing desk?
I just saw a treadmill designed to work at your desk. The trick is to keep moving instead of sitting all the time. Optimum speed is 1.5 mph walking. Ordinary walking speed is 3 mph. That's too fast to get any work done. Sooth is that sitting damages the body. Pisses me off. I love sitting, watching Fox News, drinking and smoking. In fact I want a Hover Round chair so I'll never have to stand up ever again.
Obama's narcissism and arrogance is only superseded by his naivete and stupidity.
bigpeach wrote:I'll just lay on the couch, thank you.
Atta Boy, Peach! When the blubber gets built up, just use my do it yourself at home liposuction kit.
They're paying 30 cents a gallon now for home heating and diesel fuel.
Obama's narcissism and arrogance is only superseded by his naivete and stupidity.
I had read Gina's article before when I was thinking about this last year. Ironically, at home, my desk is very, very low on the ground and serves a similar result though I have never seen anybody write about such a thing. In my office, I have played around with the idea by tossing my laptop onto a box and, though it certainly could work, on days where you need to spend a good number of hours typing, would be hard.
I have never understood the treadmill thing - would a person's life be that devoid of activity that they would need to have such a thing?
WildGorillaMan wrote:Enthusiasm combined with no skill whatsoever can sometimes carry the day.
Actually I have been sitting in the diamond position while on the computer on a low bench as it sure makes a big change on how my back feels after a long day. I also tend to get up more often and move around and resume.
I was at a place over last weekend where I had my PC on a high table and standing. I think for long periods it can get rough as well. In the diamond position I feel well supported and aligned.
The only downfall is how good is it for my legs, since there's lots of pressure on the calves? Anyone knows or has heard anything on the subject?
Frogster wrote:OK, good to hear, I might try that some more.
What height was it in relation to your navel?
I'm not really sure. Right around the navel area I think though. I just set it so that I could type comfortably without having to raise or hunch my shoulders, and put as little stress on my wrists as possible.
I would figure worrying about where it is in relation to your belly button would be secondary to whether your posture was correct.
"Gentle in what you do, Firm in how you do it"
- Buck Brannaman
Frogster wrote:OK, good to hear, I might try that some more.
What height was it in relation to your navel?
I'm not really sure. Right around the navel area I think though. I just set it so that I could type comfortably without having to raise or hunch my shoulders, and put as little stress on my wrists as possible.
I would figure worrying about where it is in relation to your belly button would be secondary to whether your posture was correct.
It was more to have a rough idea to calibrate for my size, not so much interested in the actual distances and math ;-)
I am experimenting right now.
More nerdy shit. Did you stand with narrow stance and straight knees or a soft wide stance? And how much did you keep in your glutes? OK, kidding, I stop now
You ignorant sods,the diamond position is like traditional Japanese sitting. Did it help?
I used to sit diamond style and it probably was fairly good as it would force me up every half hour or so. Currently, my desk @ home is on the ground and I sit on something that is similar, if not identical to, this.
I think that a standing desk would be perfect if you had a stool to lean on from time to time. Some bars have tables that are perfect height, in my opinion.
WildGorillaMan wrote:Enthusiasm combined with no skill whatsoever can sometimes carry the day.
