Patent ID: 7413250

Claim:
A method for promoting scapular retraction in a person in a seated or reclining position, comprising: seating the person on a seat portion of a seating device, the seating device comprising a rigid or semi-rigid thoracic support column that is positioned and aligned to extend upwardly and fixably from at or above the seated person's lumbar vertebrae to at or above the person's superior scapular aspect, the thoracic support column having a convex cross section projecting from a side facing the person, the convex cross section of the thoracic support column being shaped to fit between the person's scapulae, the seating device further comprising a scapular indentation situated on either side of the thoracic support column, the scapular indentations being sized to allow the person's scapulae to move in the rearward direction and to contact the scapular indentations in a fully retracted position as promoted by the thoracic support column, thereby distributing a supporting force on the person over a larger surface area; supporting the person's back against the thoracic support column, wherein pressure resulting from the supporting against the thoracic support column promotes retraction of the person's scapulae in a rearward direction.