I recently got back from a great yoga holiday in
Spain. Highly recommended and if you’re
interested check out their website at www.yogabreaks.org.uk.
Nothing too taxing, two sessions of yoga a day, lovely place, nice group of
people and plenty of down time. What could be wrong with that? Nothing really,
apart from having to cope with the joys of air travel to get there and back.
Who exactly did they have in mind when they designed airplane seats? I’m not
talking your top of the range business class comfy seats, I mean your standard
Easy Jet seats which most of us use.
Where did they find a human that could sit
comfortably in one of those seats? From what I can gather you have two
choices. Option one is to sit nice and
upright with your low back pressing comfortably into the back of the seat so
that the lumbar support fits in to the curve of your low back. Of course that
means your head will be left unsupported by the head rest. So you also have the option of sliding down
the seat so that your head and neck get to rest on the head rest . . .but then
your low back is left unsupported and your knees are jammed against the seat in
front. The choice is yours;achy low back
or stiff neck and maybe bruised knees, or probably a combination of all of
them.
In my 23 years of osteopathic practice I’m not sure
I’ve come across anyone that would perfectly fit an Easy Jet or Ryan Air seat.
I do however see lots and lots of people who’s problems are either associated
with or aggravated by sitting on seats of some description. Office seats,
whether or not they’re ergonomically fitted, ‘comfy’ sofas, car seats and of
course seats on planes, all create business for osteopaths (and not forgetting
physiotherapists and chiropractors).
Essentially the human body was not designed to sit
on seats, especially for the length of time most of us spend sitting. We are
better designed for squatting rather than sitting. Now, here’s a great health
promoting challenge for you. Spend a few minutes each day squatting. Feet
should be flat on the floor if you can, and if not work
towards achieving it. It’s a great position to mobilise the hips, lengthen the
low back, stretch the Achilles, and work all those core muscles. It’s great for
the bowels too. Who’s bright idea was it
to design a toilet to sit on in the first place? Some things are best done
squatting . . but that’s another story.
Give us a call after your next Easy Jet flight and
we’ll sort out your back and neck issues and in the meantime happy squatting.
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