How to Sit Properly
Key insights: 60-second read
- Sitting is the most common thing most people do with their bodies - if you have persistent aches or pains without a clear cause, how you sit is worth investigating.
- Your optimal sitting posture should mirror your optimal standing posture - tall, feet straight, pelvis neutral, shoulders comfortably back.
- Most chairs are not designed for your specific body - use rolled towels or cushions to fill gaps and support your optimal shape.
- Three exercises can make good posture more comfortable and sustainable - back mobility with a lacrosse ball, banded rows for upper back strength, and planks for core endurance.
- If you do not have to sit, do not sit - movement and position changes are always better than staying locked in any one shape.
Let us be honest. Sitting posture is not an exciting topic. It is not glamorous. It is something your parents probably nagged you about when you were younger. But if you are dealing with persistent aches, pains, tightnesses, or dysfunctions that do not seem to have a clear cause, how you sit might be one of the most important pieces of the puzzle to consider.
As a physiotherapist with over 20 years of clinical experience, I have learned that the single most common thing most people do with their bodies is sit. School, work, driving, relaxing on the couch, reading a book. Day after day, week after week, year after year. If we are trying to understand why a specific part of your spine or body has become dysfunctional without a clear incident or accident, it makes logical sense to look at the things you spend the most time doing.
This article will give you a simple framework for how to sit properly that you can take to any seated situation. I will also show you three simple exercises to make sitting in a better position more comfortable, more tolerable, and ultimately more sustainable long term.
"If you don't have to sit, don't sit. Sitting sucks. There's rarely anything good about it. If you can prioritise movement or changing positions consistently, that will forever be better than a stationary, sedentary, locked-in, cemented shape."
On this page
Why sitting posture matters (even if it is boring)
I understand there is a common line of thinking in some circles that poor posture does not predict pain and injury. And there is truth to that. Posture alone is a terrible predictor. Why? Because everyone's body is different. How you sit in one chair may differ from another chair. Genetics, tissue quality, activity levels, sleep, nutrition, hydration, and stress all influence your body's threshold for dysfunction.
However, here is what my 20 years of clinical experience has taught me. Once you have developed an issue that you need help with, if we are not looking at the things you do most with your body throughout the day, we may never truly understand why that issue happened. And if we do not understand why it happened, we may never know what needs to change to make it go away for good.
Sitting tends to be the most common thing most people subject their bodies to, day after day, week after week, year upon year. So when we are looking for clues about why a specific part of your spine or body has become dysfunctional, it makes logical sense to start with the things you do the most and work your way down the list.
Clinical insight: "Once you have gone over that threshold and you have developed an issue, if we are not looking at all the things that may have led to that, one of which may be the things that you do the most with your body throughout the day, then we may never truly understand why it happened."
How to sit properly: the optimal shape
The first thing we need to do is get you to stand up. The optimal sitting posture is, in theory, just a reflection of the optimal standing posture. This anatomical position that all medical, biomechanical, and physiological textbooks agree upon is the optimal expression of our physical anatomy. It is the same body you use whether you are standing, walking, running, jumping, squatting, or sitting. So the optimal position should be the same regardless.
Step-by-step guide to the optimal sitting position
1. Stand up tall with your feet straight. While having your feet straight matters less when sitting than when walking, it tends to put your tissues in a more optimal position.
2. Imagine someone pulling you up by the top of your head. This cue helps drag everything up into a good position. Draw your belly in to maintain that shape against gravity wanting to collapse and compress you.
3. Squeeze your glutes. Tensing your butt cheeks helps reorient your pelvis into a good position. If you are tight through the front of your hips from prolonged sitting, your pelvis can dump forwards into an anterior tilt. Squeezing your glutes naturally corrects this.
4. Pull your shoulders comfortably back. Not all the way back, just comfortably back so you feel like you are taking the weight. Avoid pulling your shoulders back and down, as that can exacerbate awkward loading through the system.
5. Now sit down. Bend your hips and knees and lower yourself into the chair. Nothing should change. You should be in the same shape sitting as you were standing.
"It takes core strength and trunk endurance to maintain this shape. Initially, you may only tolerate a few minutes at a time before you feel like you want to relax and switch off once again. That is okay. That is normal if you are not used to being in a good position."
Setting up your environment for success
The modern world is far from ideal. The seat or chair you sit in may consistently ask you to be dragged out of this good position to conform to the seat. Once you understand where your optimal shape is, it is up to you to arrange your environment to support that shape.
Fill the gaps. If your back does not touch the back of the chair when you are in a good position, roll up a towel or cushion into a cylindrical shape and slide it behind you. This means that if your core strength fatigues or you get tired of being in a good position, you are supported in the shape and not going anywhere else. This is especially useful for driving, desk work, or watching TV.
Get your feet on the ground. The height of your seat is crucial. If your feet are dangling, your core has to work harder to stabilise you. Put something under your feet - cushions, a box, a footstool - so you have a stable base of support.
Do not assume your chair is good enough. Even fancy ergonomic chairs may not support your specific body in the optimal shape. You may need to adjust things to make them work for you.
What about sitting cross-legged or reclining?
Sitting cross-legged is a natural expression of hip flexion and external rotation. In theory, it should feel fine if you have the natural range. However, if you are missing some hip flexion range, you may bend through your back to get into this position. If you can maintain the optimal spinal shape while cross-legged, there is no reason not to do it. But if getting into this position forces you to sacrifice your spinal shape, you need to weigh up whether it is the best position for you.
Putting your feet up on a footrest or stool creates neural tension through the sciatic nerve at the back of the leg. The higher your feet go, the harder it will be to keep your back straight. If keeping your back straight but angling it backwards (like a recliner) allows you to be in that position, that is okay. But if straightening your legs forces you to sink through your lower back, it is not a sustainable shape over time.
The key principle is always the same: come back to that default shape. If you can maintain the optimal spinal position regardless of what your legs are doing, go for it.
Exercise 1: Back mobility with a lacrosse ball
When you slouch and relax, the weight of your arms and head under gravity pulls on the tissues of your neck and upper back. Over time, these tissues can become tight, stiff, and restricted. When you try to adjust your posture back to a good position, you are trying to move through rusty, tight structures. You may need to clear a path through that tissue so your shoulders can do what they are supposed to do.
Lacrosse ball mobility protocol
Placement: Place the ball in the middle of your shoulder blades, just off to one side. You can do this leaning against a wall or lying on the floor.
Target: Look for tissue that feels stiff, tight, restricted, thicker, more dense, or more tender compared to the other side.
Duration: Leave the ball in place for 30-60 seconds. Give it a chance to press in and sink through the tight tissue.
Movement: Systematically move the ball up, down, and wider onto the ribs. Compare right versus left. Work down the spine, especially around the base of the rib cage (just under a woman's bra strap as a reference point).
Expected result: When you sit down again and pull your shoulders back, it should feel smoother, lighter, and more consistently easy than before.
Exercise 2: Banded rows for upper back strength
Once you have freed up some of the tight tissue, you need strength and endurance to hold these positions comfortably long term.
Banded rows protocol
Setup: Attach a band or use a cable machine at about belly button height. Choose enough resistance that you genuinely feel fatigue by the end of the set.
Cue: Focus on bringing your elbows level with your trunk and squeezing your shoulder blades together. Do not worry about getting your hands to touch your belly, as that can force you into a less than ideal shoulder position.
Repetitions: 10-15 reps, or up to 15-20 for endurance.
Sets: 3 sets.
Goal: Wrap those shoulder blades around your back under load. This strengthens the muscles that hold you in a good position.
Exercise 3: Planks for core endurance
The ability to engage and strengthen your core is invaluable for staying in an optimal sitting position as long as you need to.
Plank protocol
Setup: Lie on your elbows and knees. If getting on the ground is difficult, you can use a low bench or chair.
Position: Apply the same principles as optimal sitting. Be as tall as you can. Squeeze your glutes. Draw your belly in. Pull your shoulders comfortably back.
Action: Lift your knees off the ground.
Duration: Start with 15-30 seconds. Work up to a solid 2 minutes. If 2 minutes is too challenging, break it into sections (3 sets of 30 seconds, 3 sets of 45 seconds).
Goal: Time under tension. Fatiguing these trunk muscles in a neutral, elongated position transfers directly to better sitting posture.
"If you have any form of upper limb dysfunction - RSIs, tennis elbows, hand and wrist pain, rotator cuff issues - there is a very good chance that the position you are putting your shoulder and neck into is some version of hinging through your neck, dropping down and rolling forward through your shoulders, and staying there for a large period of time."
Summary: putting it all together
If you do not have to sit, do not sit. Movement and changing positions consistently will always be better than a stationary, sedentary, locked-in shape. But if you are forced to sit - long drives, desk work, or simply needing to rest after a long day - then make that position the best position possible.
Learn the optimal shape. Stand up tall, feet straight, belly drawn in, glutes squeezed, shoulders comfortably back. Then sit down without changing anything. Arrange your environment to support that shape. Fill gaps behind your back. Get your feet on the ground. Do not assume your chair is good enough for you.
Use the three exercises to make good posture more comfortable and sustainable. Free up tight tissue with the lacrosse ball. Strengthen your upper back with banded rows. Build core endurance with planks.
It may feel difficult at first. It may take time for your body to readjust. But with consistent effort, this shape can become your default. And when you lose that shape, it should register as something you are doing.
Video transcript with timestamps (click to jump)
One key insight from this video
"If you have any form of persistent ache, pain, dysfunction, tightness, or weakness that does not have an obvious traumatic cause, how you sit may be one of the most relevant factors. The overwhelming majority of non-traumatic aches and pains relate back to segmental spinal dysfunction. And the best place to look for clues about why that spinal segment became dysfunctional is the positions and shapes you get into the most throughout the day."
Frequently asked questions about sitting posture
Is there one perfect sitting posture that works for everyone?
No. The optimal shape described in this video (tall, neutral spine, shoulders comfortably back) is a general framework, but individual anatomy varies. Some people will have more or less lumbar curve. Some will have different pelvic angles. The key is understanding the principles and then finding the shape that feels supported and sustainable for your body, not forcing yourself into a rigid ideal.
How long should I be able to sit in a good posture before needing a break?
There is no set time. Even with excellent posture, staying in any one position for too long is not ideal. The best approach is to change positions frequently. Stand up, walk around, stretch, then sit down again. If you are new to good posture, you might only manage a few minutes at first. That is normal. Your endurance will improve over time with consistent practice and the strengthening exercises mentioned.
Do ergonomic chairs actually help?
Ergonomic chairs can be helpful, but they are not a magic solution. Many fancy chairs still need to be adjusted to support your specific body in the optimal shape. Do not assume that because a chair is expensive or marketed as ergonomic, it is automatically good for you. Use the principles in this video to test whether your chair actually supports you in a good position, and modify it with rolled towels or cushions if needed.
Can fixing my sitting posture actually help my existing pain?
For many people, yes. However, it is not a guaranteed cure. If your pain has a clear traumatic cause (a fall, accident, or specific injury), that may need different management. But for the overwhelming majority of non-traumatic aches and pains that develop gradually over time, how you load your spine during daily activities like sitting is often a contributing factor. Addressing sitting posture may not be the only thing you need to do, but it can be an important piece of the puzzle.
What if sitting in a good position makes my pain worse?
This is possible and important to pay attention to. If good posture consistently aggravates your symptoms, there may be something specific going on that needs individualised assessment. Do not force yourself into a position that causes significant pain. Consider booking a consultation with a physiotherapist who can assess your specific situation and provide tailored advice.
I understand that talking about sitting posture is not exciting. It is not going to get the same attention as a video about heavy deadlifts or advanced rehabilitation techniques. But clinically, I see the value of good sitting posture every single day.
For many people, only once they master better sitting shapes do they truly give their body the chance to no longer be painful, irritated, or injured. I have the luxury of seeing that connection day to day. I am not in the business of having you trust me. I want you to base things on results. I want you to feel like the things you are doing are genuinely meaningful and helpful.
The modern world is always trying to drag us into a terrible shape. You cannot rely on the quality of your ergonomics to guarantee you are in a good position. Double check that you are in a good position and that your ergonomics are supporting you in a shape that is specific to you.
If you are dealing with any aches, pains, injuries, or dysfunctions and want help figuring out what is going on, I am available for online consultations. We can work through it in real time and give you some direction to help get you out of the hole you may feel you are in.
- Grant
Living With Persistent Pain?
If your pain has lasted longer than expected, feels disproportionate to injury, or hasn't responded to standard treatment, you may benefit from a more nervous-system-focused approach. Learn more about our physiotherapy services in Port Macquarie.
Want personalised guidance?
If you would like help making sense of your aches, pains, or ongoing symptoms, you can book with Grant either in Port Macquarie or via telehealth.
Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes and does not replace individualised physiotherapy or medical advice. Always consult a qualified health professional for your specific situation. Individual responses to posture changes and exercises vary.
