Learn How to Prevent It and Why It’s So Common
Your body changes after hours, days, weeks, months, and years spent in a seated position.
The term “office chair butt” might make you smile, but this workplace phenomenon likely affects you if you sit at a desk for work.
Here’s what you should know about this surprisingly common issue.
How Your Office Chair Shapes Your Day-to-Day Life
Think about your typical workday. You arrive at the office, settle into your chair, and before you know it, five hours have passed, and it’s lunch time. Your ergonomic office chair might feel comfortable after all those hours, but that comfort comes with hidden costs.
During those long stretches of sitting, your gluteal muscles quietly switch off, leading to what medical professionals call “gluteal amnesia.” Yes, that’s really what they call it.
The repercussions of gluteal amnesia occur so gradually that you might not notice them at first. Maybe you feel a bit stiffer getting up from your chair, or your lower back aches more than usual. Some people experience an odd numbness or tingling sensation in their legs. These are your body’s way of telling you something needs to change.
What Science Tells Us About Sitting In Office Chairs All Day
Our bodies crave movement. Every hour we spend sitting affects multiple muscle groups, not just our glutes. The technical explanation involves something called reciprocal inhibition, where some muscles become overly tight, while others weaken.
This creates a domino effect that impacts everything from our posture to our walking gait, and it happens even if you have the best ergonomic office chair in the world.
Yale Medicine notes that sitting for long periods can hasten the effects of multiple health issues.
- Inadequate physical exercise can lead to heart disease.
- Sitting puts stress on and stiffens the spine, which can lead to osteoporosis.
- Increased sitting is also linked to weight gain and the onset of diabetes.
- Too much time in one position, such as sitting, can cause blood clots or deep vein thrombosis.
Office Chair Butt Solutions
To put a stop to that domino effect and avoid office chair butt – or recover from it – try these practical solutions that actually work.
- Mini-breaks work wonders. Set a quiet timer on your phone for every 45 minutes. When it buzzes, stand up and walk, even if it’s just to refill your water bottle or visit a colleague instead of sending an email.
- Try the “invisible chair” exercise during calls. Stand with your back against a wall, then slide down slightly as if sitting in an invisible chair. Hold this position while you talk to strengthen your legs and core without missing a beat at work.
- Actually take your lunch break, and instead of sitting for the whole hour, take a walk before you eat. You can do a lap around your building, take a spin around the block, or find a nearby walking trail.
- Use a standing desk throughout the day. Although they aren’t a magic solution to office butt, they can help you mix up your positions throughout the day. Try standing up for focused tasks, like reading reports or attending meetings, then sit for detail-oriented work, like entering data into spreadsheets or writing.
- Consider using a seat cushion with your office chair to promote the natural curve of your spine and help you maintain proper pelvic position. A good cushion doesn’t feel like you’re sitting on a cloud; it supports your posture and weight distribution.
- Spread out your workday necessities so you have to walk to access them. Put your printer slightly out of reach. Keep your favorite coffee mug across the room. Make staying seated a major inconvenience.
- Have a walking meeting for brainstorming sessions or one-on-ones with direct reports. The rhythm of walking can help ideas flow more freely, and you might even feel more energized afterward.
Making Your Office Chair Work With Your Body
You can also take steps to protect your muscles and joints by properly adjusting your chair and the way you sit in it. Try these steps first:
- Your feet should rest completely flat on the floor, no dangling or crossed legs.
- Your knees should form roughly a 90-degree angle. If you’re shorter or taller than average, you might need to adjust your chair height or add a foot rest.
Think of your sitting position like a pyramid. Your feet form the base, and everything else builds from there. If the base isn’t stable, the whole structure becomes shaky.
Learn more about adjusting your chair to better support your body.
Breaking the Cycle Of Sitting In Your Office Chair
Change doesn’t happen overnight, and trying to transform everything at once usually backfires. Start with one small change, like setting that timer for movement breaks or doing wall sits during phone calls. After that becomes natural, add another change.
Keep a simple log of how you feel at different points in your day. Notice when you feel most stiff or uncomfortable, then plan your movement breaks around these times. This personalized approach often works better than following generic advice.
The path to better health at work is about becoming more aware of how you move – or don’t move – throughout your day. Small, consistent changes add up to significant improvements over time.
Your body will thank you for every small step you take toward a more active workday, even if that step is just standing up every hour or doing a few stretches at your desk.