Scapular Impedance - What is It?
Introduction to the concept of scapular impedance and how to prevent it.
Scapular Impedance. As the name suggests, the concept of “scapular impedance” is centered around allowing freedom of motion for a seated individual’s shoulder blade area. According to the ergonomists and chiropractors with whom we have consulted, when people are seated in a chair with a full, “normal” backrest, the body’s natural tendency will be to hunch forward. This predilection towards “scrunching” is – with near uniform agreement – largely recognized as an unhealthy position for the human body to remain in; especially in prolonged seating situations. With backrests that taper away from the scapular area, occupants have the advantage of being able to sit back and avoid the type of interference that full chair backs can cause.
In essence, a chair occupant’s body and posture will tend to adjust into healthier positions as impediments to range of motion are removed. This adjustment that the body will naturally make will therefore lessen the occupant’s inclination to scrunch. When combined with other properly adjusted ergonomic seating features, the freedom of the scapular area will promote a more natural, healthier sitting position.
A further benefit of chairs that address scapular impedance is the promotion of an active “stretch-response”. When leaning into the backrest of a chair with tapered contours, occupants will experience a natural stretch-response that is encouraged by the differential travel distance between the open shoulder blades and the supported spinal column areas.
Basically, because the shoulder blades are freed up to travel slightly further backwards than the central area of the back, occupants will experience a gradual stretching motion as they lean back.
For further discussion about the benefit of chairs focusing on scapular impedance, or to share your thoughts, please visit the other courses in this section.
