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Sitting for prolonged periods isn’t ideal for anyone, but it can be particularly uncomfortable for those with sciatica. Sciatic nerve pain is often aggravated by poor sitting posture, which is common on chairs that don't promote the best sitting position.
In this guide, we explore how to sit with sciatica pain and share tips on how to sit comfortably, regardless of the chair you're sitting on.
Plus, we explore how your seat could be causing back pain at seating options like riser recliner chairs that can help reduce sciatica discomfort.
What is sciatica?
Sciatica occurs when the sciatic nerve, which runs from your lower back down to your legs, becomes irritated or compressed.
This can cause sharp, burning pain, tingling, numbness, and muscle weakness. Poor posture while sitting, especially on furniture that doesn’t support the spine properly, can trigger or worsen the condition.
How to sit comfortably with sciatica
To help manage sciatica symptoms while sitting, it’s important to adopt a sitting position that minimises pressure on the lower back and supports the spine correctly. Here are some tips on how to sit with sciatica:
Sit up straight
Sitting with your back straight can help alleviate pressure on the sciatic nerve. Avoid slouching or leaning forward.
Keep your spine in a neutral position, with your shoulders rolled back and your head aligned with your spine. This posture can ease sciatica pain by preventing extra strain on your back.
Keep your feet flat on the ground
To achieve the best sitting posture for sciatica, ensure your feet are flat on the floor. This helps keep your knees at a 90-degree angle and reduces pressure on your lower back.
If your feet don’t reach the floor, consider using a footrest to support your feet and maintain a neutral sitting position.
Keep a wide open hip angle
An open hip angle of around 90 degrees or more can help reduce pressure on the lumbar spine. Sitting too deeply in a chair or couch can compress your spine, but by maintaining a wider angle between your thighs and torso, you can reduce unwanted pressure and ease sciatica pain.
Sit cross-legged
Sitting cross-legged can be comfortable for some people with sciatica, as it helps relieve pressure on the affected leg.
However, it’s important to be mindful of your posture and avoid sitting in this position for long periods. If you experience increased pain, consider switching positions to give your muscles a break.
How to reduce sciatica pain while sitting
There are several steps you can take to reduce sciatica pain while sitting:
Check your posture
Sitting in a slumped position, such as adopting a "C" shape, can worsen sciatica. Make sure your posture supports your spine’s natural curve.
Keep your shoulders back and your back straight. If you're sitting on a sofa, ensure your feet are flat on the floor, or use a footrest if needed.
Keep moving
Sitting for long periods can aggravate sciatica pain. It's important to take frequent standing breaks and move around throughout the day.
Simple stretches and seated exercises, like those recommended by physical therapists, can help ease sciatica pain and prevent stiffness.
Avoid slumping
When using a laptop or tablet, it's easy to slump forward, especially while sitting on a sofa. Instead, raise your device to eye level, so you don’t have to bend your neck or hunch over.
Placing a small cushion or a rolled-up towel behind your lower back can also provide additional lumbar support.
Add extra support
If your sofa cushion is sagging, adding an extra cushion can help maintain a 90-degree angle between your hips and knees.
This can relieve pressure on your lower back. Just make sure the cushion isn't too high, as that could make the armrests uncomfortable or force your feet off the floor.
For muscle pain relief and more, explore the best exercises for lower back pain and 8 chair exercises you can do at home in our guides.
How does sitting affect sciatica?
The way you sit can significantly impact sciatica pain. A chair's height, depth, and width all play a role in supporting your body. Sciatica pain can be stabbing, burning, or shooting, and you may even feel tingling, numbness, or weakness.
Some chairs don’t always encourage us to sit correctly. The main reasons for this are:
The height of your chair
If your seat is too low, your knees will be higher than your hips, which increases pressure through the lower back.
If it is too high, your feet will not be supported, which can cause you to slide forward to reach the ground. This can cause a slumped posture, which again increases pressure through the lower back.
The depth of your chair
This causes the same issues as the chair being too high, because the sofa cushions may dig into the back of your legs. The solution is to sit with your back away from the support of the sofa, adopting a slumped position.
The width of your chair
As support can only be gained from one arm on the sofa, this can cause a leaning posture, which means the spine is not evenly loaded or straight.
Whilst it may feel more comfortable with sciatica not exerting weight through the painful side, in the long term, this will not be helpful and could cause tightness in other muscle groups.
Expert Q&A: Dealing with sciatica nerve pain
We spoke to our expert, Dr Tim Mercer, to understand how you can manage your sciatica more effectively.
What is better for sciatica, sitting or lying down?
“While sitting for long periods can worsen sciatica, lying down might offer temporary relief. Regardless of how you sit or stand, it’s important to be mindful of your posture.
“If you have sciatica, you should invest in a supportive mattress and pillow. These can greatly improve how your spine aligns and reduce pressure on your nerves.”
Is it better to sit on a hard or soft chair with sciatica?
“The best sitting position for sciatica varies from person to person. Generally speaking, a firm chair provides better lumbar support than a soft one.
“However, it’s important to find a balance that works for your body – one that doesn’t compromise your comfort but also doesn’t lead to poor posture.”
Can good posture improve sciatica?
“Yes, maintaining good posture while sitting is essential for reducing sciatic pain. A neutral spine position, with proper lumbar support and a 90-degree angle between your hips and knees, can help prevent sciatica flare-ups and relieve pain over time.”
How can riser recliners help with sciatica?
If sitting for long periods continues to exacerbate sciatica nerve pain, a riser recliner chair might be the solution.
These chairs allow for easy transfers in and out of the chair and provide adjustable recline positions to extend your legs and reduce pressure on your lower back.
The tilt-in-space function can also help you find a comfortable seated position and encourage you to move more frequently, which is key to reducing sciatica pain.
The Opera range of riser recliner chairs with built-in lumbar support are designed to reduce the strain on your spine, providing targeted relief for sciatica sufferers.
Whether you need a bit of extra support for your lower back or the ability to recline and elevate your legs, these chairs offer a customisable seating experience that can help ease sciatica discomfort.
Riser recliner chairs don't just relieve sciatica pain, they can help with other ailments, too. Read the best recliner chairs for arthritis for more information.
We design our riser recliners with your health and home in mind, so they're available in various styles and colours to complement your home's decor.
Choose from our Flynn, Swinton, Albany, Parker, Vionna, or Delby chairs and enjoy a range of mobility and benefits. All of our chairs are available with single motor, dual motor, quad motor, and massage functions, ensuring relief from chronic pain, sciatica, circulation problems, and more.
For more insight into our chairs, explore the dedicated riser recliner section of our blog.
We've created guides to help you understand how riser recliner chairs work, how to find the best riser recliner chair for you, and whether you should sleep in a riser recliner chair.
