Back aches? Try swinging on a chair

London: While it's unanimously considered as a bad-manner, a recent study shows that swinging on your chair is actually good for the back, as experts now believe the rocking motion prevents life-long back pain.

Campaigners say school children who tilt their chairs forward as they do their classwork are adopting the correct posture because they are still keeping their backs straight.

The survey carried out by Charity BackCare found that after 15,000 hours of sitting at a desk between the ages of five to 16, almost ten per cent of pupils end up with serious back trouble and need to see a GP.

BackCare is currently lobbying ministers to make sure money spent on school furniture goes towards back-friendly chairs. It wants the 'ubiquitous plastic bucket chair' to be replaced with adjustable, forward tilting chairs and angled desks, which were once popular in the Victorian era.

And it is also trying to encourage as many schools as possible to join its good posture campaign.

The charity believes teachers are now realising that a straight back can improve concentration, performance and behaviour.

"Lower back pain appears to affect health, well-being, academic achievement, motivation and behaviour," the Daily Mail quoted Alan Gardner, a consultant spinal orthopaedic surgeon.

"It may be part of a vicious circle of stress, poor behaviour, low self esteem and low attainment," Gardner added.

Children used the 'tip trick' to try and correct the back problems caused by being forced to sit rigidly with their legs at right angles to their back, staring straight ahead, Dr Gardner said.

"By tipping the seat 20 degrees forward, we can avoid both bending and heavily loading the back. Besides, it feels so much more comfortable because it's closer to an ideal balanced position," he added.

According to founder of British furniture firm Stage Systems, Anthony Hill, this has also improved pupils' handwriting.

"All the teachers that use this equipment say the handwriting of pupils has improved. People are beginning to understand that this is another Jamie Oliver effect, if I can use that word. We need healthy food but we also need good posture," Hill said.

BackCare are planning to run its Watch Your Back week in schools across the country for a week starting on October 16.

Mayor of London Ken Livingstone has also given the charity 2,000 free advertising spaces on the London Underground to run a hard-hitting advertising campaign.