Unfortunately, most chairs aren’t made ergonomically, and the ones that are cost a fortune. If you work in an office, your company likely didn’t have the budget for the best chairs on the market, meaning you had to settle with something that’s less than perfect. 

If you work from home, you may have thought about springing for something more expensive, only to change your mind. Cheaper chairs can’t be that uncomfortable, can they? Unfortunately, yes, they can. And they are. 

If you’re sitting in a chair that wasn’t built with proper ergonomics in mind, you’re probably experiencing some pain throughout your back and hips because of your chair. But what is that pain, and how do you prevent it from occurring? 

What is Anterior Pelvic Tilt? 

Anterior pelvic tilt is one of the more common types of pain experienced because of prolonged sitting in uncomfortable office chairs. The pelvis is important when it comes to proper posture, so when you have poor posture, you can experience a domino effect of pain throughout the body, starting at the pelvis. 

When your pelvis is rotated forward, this is referred to as pelvic tilt. The threshold for pelvic tilt is different between men and women. For men, it’s 5 degrees and for women, it’s 10 degrees. If you’re experiencing soreness in your pelvic muscles and in your thighs, it may be because of anterior pelvic tilt. When left untreated, pelvic tilt can become severe. 

Complications Associated with Anterior Pelvic Tilt 

There are so many different problems that anterior pelvic tilt can cause, and because of that, it’s important to get any pelvic pain checked out if it lasts more than a few days. Pelvic tilt can cause problems such as: 

• Headaches

• Back pain 

• Neck pain 

• Knee pain 

• Hip pain

• Foot pain

• Shoulder pain 

• Jaw pain 

• Fatigue 

• Breathing problems

As you can see, pelvic tilt causes a domino effect of pain throughout the body, causing many different issues. If you experience pelvic tilt and it’s left untreated, you can expect to experience more and more pain throughout your body as the problem gets worse. 

Using the Correct Chair to Prevent Problems

One of the easiest ways to prevent anterior pelvic tilt is to make sure that you’re sitting properly and using a chair that is built ergonomically with your body’s health in mind. When your body is properly aligned, you’ll experience relief throughout your joints and muscles. A properly aligned spine will also help to make your posture perfect. 

Using the right chair will also help to make you more motivated throughout the day, as you won’t be as focused on the pain that you’re experiencing and how uncomfortable you are. 

If you’re looking to make a new chair purchase, you should expect to spend a few hundred dollars to get the perfect chair for your body. Buying another cheap chair will only hurt your body more, costing you more in the long run. 

Tips and Tricks for Preventing Pain While Sitting

To protect against anterior pelvic tilt, there are a few other options for you. If you don’t want to purchase an expensive ergonomic chair, you can try using seat cushions to add further comfort to your chair. You can also try stretching and exercising periodically throughout the day, or even working while standing up. 

If you experience pain that radiates from your pelvis and doesn’t go away after a few days, you may want to speak with your doctor about anterior pelvic tilt. They can help you figure out what’s causing it and how to improve it before it gets worse. In most cases, upgrading to a better chair is the way to go.