Around the world, billions of people adore sports, and a significant part of them visit stadiums to watch live play. Although the vibe and atmosphere at stadiums are incomparable and energetic, the games that last longer hours often leave the viewers fatigued and strained.
People often complain of having severe neck and back issues and posture problems after stadium visits. The stress and strain felt on the necks and backs of the viewers due to the continuous game viewing experience have at times been reported to cause significant posture issues too.
The article below analyses the inherent issues with stadium seats and how the right stadium seat can improve your comfort and posture. It also details how you should sit to improve your posture and the most comfortable seats in a stadium.
Contents
How should I sit to improve my posture?
You can use the following sitting positions, tips, and techniques to improve your posture gradually.
- Keep the shoulders relaxed.
- Keep the feet flat against the floor.
- Place the ankles just in front of your knees.
- Avoid crossing the ankles or knees.
- Try to maintain a small distance between the chair and the back of the knees.
- It is ideal to keep the knees at the same height as your hips.
- Keep the knees and forearms parallel to the floor if possible.
- Try to avoid causing strain on the neck and sit and look straight.
- Keep the lower back of your body very close to the chair.
- Try to take a fifteen minutes break from sitting after every hour. Take a brisk walk during the break time.
- Try to move or shift positions now and then to avoid stiffness.
The sitting position has a significant role in improving one’s posture. Good posture refers to the proper alignment of a person’s body with enough muscle support. Whenever the alignment goes off and the muscle tension increases, that person is said to have poor body posture.
What are the best tips for stadium seating?
The best tips for stadium seating are given in the following section. In almost all stadiums worldwide, the general seats are mostly uncomfortable to sit for long hours. Most of these seats do not provide any lumbar support for the viewer’s body. This would result in a wrong posture and associated neck and back problems.
Use a Cushion
Bringing and using a cushion to support your back will be your best decision while watching a game live. A cushion could give you the proper lumbar support and relieve the pressure you may feel on the lower back portion.
But as not every stadium promotes outside products inside the stadium, try to check on this possibility beforehand. Also, it is better to bring a lightweight and small cushion. Even if you cannot bring a cushion to the stadium, you can bring thick towels or blankets that can be folded and used instead of cushions.
Be Conscious about Your Posture
Maintaining the correct posture can relieve much pressure from the neck and back. Remember not to slouch too much, as it could increase the spine’s pressure. Sitting straight with the knees and forearms parallel to the floor is also advisable.
Move Around Occasionally
One of the best ways to prevent your back and neck from stiffening up and aching is to move around occasionally. As sports matches continue for hours, it is not ideal to sit throughout the game. You should stand up sometimes, jump around, or even stretch for a while. The occasional movements enable the body to not go into a stiff mode.
Increase the Water Intake
It is often observed that the lack of water content can often lead to joint and muscle pains and spasms. To avoid such instances, you should stay well-hydrated till the end of the game. Many people resent drinking water during games. But it would only invite spasms and major posture problems.
Summary
Being an avid sports fan, watching live games at the stadium has always been a dream of mine. But the very first experience at the stadium itself turned out to be extremely difficult due to the strain caused by the challenging seating arrangements there. Sitting on the hard surface of the stadium chair for more than three hours greatly fatigued me.
After some research online, I understood the various tips and techniques that could relieve the tension and pressure felt at the lower back portion of the viewer. The tips turned out to be great and successfully reduced my back pain. They also played a significant role in maintaining my healthy posture.
FAQs
1. What are some ways to improve posture?
There are many natural and medical ways to improve your body posture. Some of them are regular exercising, using legs instead of back to bend forward, keeping huge loads of weight very close to your body while lifting them, letting the knees bend while driving, using lumbar support cushions wherever possible, etc. You can also use orthopedic shoes when standing for a long time. Such supportive shoes avoid stress and strain from building up in the legs, which may have resulted in a forward slouching posture.
2. How long does it take to improve posture?
The time taken to improve one’s posture solely depends on the time and effort put in by that particular person. Making constant efforts to correct the postural issues would bring about quicker changes. Even after achieving the desired posture, you should maintain efforts to preserve the healthy posture.
3. What are some sitting positions to avoid?
Any kind of sitting position that brings heavy pressure on a person’s hips, back, neck, or shoulders should be avoided. Some such common posture mistakes are sitting for extended hours in the same position, dangling the feet without any support, placing the knees or arms or ankles crossed, sitting in a slouching manner, etc.
Hi, I am Valerie. I love working out and trying out various products which help me maintain my fitness. I love reviewing products related to posture and pain relief that will help people in some way. I like to spend my extra time swimming, Running and Wall Climbing. I am a physiotherapist and have helped countless people lead a pain free life.
