Back pain is an issue in my day-to-day life. I had back surgery to correct my severe scoliosis, so I have trouble sitting comfortably in a chair. The school chairs are no exception to this, and they often increase my pain.
Most chairs are not made for people with fused spines as a result of the slightly arched structure. Because my back doesn’t bend, unlike others, chairs have become a prevalent annoyance in my life.
My days consist of sitting for 90-minute class periods in chairs that I am unable to slouch or even lean back into comfortably. To comply, I often bring an extra jacket to school to act as padding on the back of the chair; this way, I can lean back somewhat comfortably. This simple fix has felt like slapping a Band-Aid on my bigger problem.
Going through the recovery process after my surgery, as well as facing the extra layer of being restricted from simply sitting comfortably, has been extremely frustrating. I already carry the burden of the healing process, and on top of that, I am troubled with school chairs all day. I am left sore and drained when I arrive home.
Most classrooms do not have any option for chair accessibility. There are three main different types of chairs throughout the school classrooms: the short black chair, a tall light-yellow wooden and metal chair, and the short dark-blue chairs, all equally uncomfortable.
Having sat in all of them, none have provided back the support I needed after having major surgery. While my situation may be more extreme than others, most people I have talked to have agreed and said that the chairs are not pleasant.
I have also heard from some of my friends who also experience some form of back pain that they don’t find the chairs comfortable.
Doctors have suggested avoiding chairs that are too soft or too hard after having spine surgery, and the school chairs are definitely too hard and stiff. With no access to alternative seating, I simply have to deal with the pain.
Personally, I think that either providing some sort of cushion or having more options for chairs would be a great solution to this problem. Fixing the uncomfortable chairs will help create a more pleasant learning environment for all students.
