By Inda Reves
Numb bum? Backache? Hips hurt? Pelvic pain?
The problem may be the chair you’re sitting in. Full-time students at the University of Louisville spend a minimum of 12 hours each week sitting in chairs on campus.
For many students, this is time they will pay dearly for – not just with their tuition dollars, but physically as well.
“My hips are always hurting at home,” complained Elizabeth Carter, a U of L senior. Among the people interviewed, a trend emerged. Female students complained more often about stiff backs, but men also had difficulties.
Shaun Lafferty, a junior, was one of those men. “[My] lower back hurts a little bit,” he said.
There were also women who said the chairs were fine, such as junior Anna Havrilesko. “My butt falls asleep, but honestly I don’t pay attention,” she said.
So, is there a problem with the chairs, or are some students just whiny?
“Women are more sensitive to their bodies than men,” said local chiropractor Mark Schuler.
However, his peer, Dr. Don Fitzgerald, another local chiropractor, said there’s more to it than that.
The center of gravity in women is below the waistline, their hips are different and they have a womb. Men’s center of gravity is above the waist, in their chest.
Fitzgerald believes the significant difference in chair comfort is related to the difference in pelvic tilt.
That’s one explanation for why many women, like freshman Brittany Boxley, lean forward in their chairs. “[The chairs are] hard and uncomfortable. My back hurts – that’s why I have to lean up,” Boxley said.
Some students ease the pain by perching on the edge of the chair. Sophomore Erin Francovia said she does this because the chairs feel as if “there’s a hole in the middle.”
A woman is working against her body when she leans forward and stretches her back muscles, Fitzgerald said. That action stresses antigravity muscles and flexors, so “even though one thinks they are relaxing, they are not,” Fitzgerald said.
A third local chiropractor gave an entirely different reason for the back pain females experience.
Dr. Mark Smith, who has done research related to chair comfort, said men have tighter fourth and fifth perispinal muscles because their bodies develop less of a hormone called relaxin. These tighter muscles help support men more comfortably when they’re seated. Also, men of average height get to take advantage of the lumbar support. Since most on-campus classroom and study chairs aren’t adjustable, it’s likely the chairs hit most females too high on their backs, Schuler said.
The question of whether chairs on campus are more likely to cause back pain for women was posed to spine specialist Dr. Leah Carreon, who bluntly said, “I don’t think it has anything to do with being female. The fact you can’t put your feet on the floor [may be the issue].”
Carreon said humans simply aren’t physically built for sitting, but for standing.
The highest pressure on the spinal discs is when you’re sitting, she said. “Don’t sit rigidly!” she warned.
And all those times your mother told you to mind your manners – forget that. Elbows on the table actually help ease the pressure, Carreon said. Armrests also help.
Carreon instructs all of her patients to stand up and walk around once every hour.
This may not be practical advice in a 75-minute class, but it works when studying or typing a paper.
Carreon also pointed out that being in better shape strengthens muscles in the back and abs and keeps the spine upright.
Both Carreon and the chiropractors sent out the same message. “It’s a matter of learning how to sit,” Carreon said.
But the chiropractors maintained that sitting properly in campus chairs could be a challenge.
After reviewing photos of on-campus seating, Schuler said he “didn’t think they even made some of those chairs any more.”
Angela Johnson, senior interior designer for U of L’s Department of Plan/Design/Construction, said the chairs on U of L’s campus were purchased in the 1970s or 1980s.
“At the time [the chairs were purchased], they were of a size that fit college students,” Johnson said. “We realize students are larger now and some classrooms are now table-chair classrooms where space and funding permit.”
Schuler advised an update: “The mind can only take what the butt can endure, so for better education – better chairs.”
Fitzgerald said sitting improperly denies oxygen to the lungs and subsequently to the brain. Poor posture, he said, is the real culprit behind drowsiness.
“Shallow breathing during class, work or leisurely reading can put you or anyone else to sleep [snap] just like that,” he said.
The library chairs ranked a little bit better with the chiropractors than classroom chairs because they have armrests and padding, but, Schuler said, “Some people will not be able to sit all the way back and use the lumbar support.
Some people’s knees will be bent too much.” If you’re petite, you’re out of luck in the library, too.
The chiropractors approved more of the dormitory chairs. “The seat tilts up a little,” Schuler said. “[It] takes pressure off the hamstrings and puts a lumbar curve in the back.”
But, once again, this only works for those tall enough to sit all the way back in the chair. Fitzgerald said the resident hall chairs are the best for a woman because they “encourage her to sit back slightly and rest her back on the back of the chair” in a way that compensates for the pelvic tilt.The auditorium chairs didn’t fare so well.
“That chair encourages one to slump and scoot their pelvis forward and if your pelvis or waist area happens to be your center of gravity – in other words, if you are a woman – then you have increased stress on the lower back,” Fitzgerald said.
