I have a similar problem with my toes. I have to watch that I don't sit with my feet tucked in strange positions, especially with the toes bent and pressed into the floor. It's really important to get up and walk a bit.
I think everyone has to find the "work station" which is the most comfortable *for them*. I had scoliosis as a child/teen, and some "bends" are more intolerable/painful than others. When I frst learnt lacemaking (from a book), I had my pillow on the kitchen table and, by the end of 2 hrs, I'd be licking the tears off the end of my nose (salt's bad for fibers), I was hurting so badly. I'm short ( used to be 5'2", probably less now), and sitting on a "normal" chair brings the table edge to just under my bust, so that's where I tried to bend -- against nature :) If I padded up the chair-seat to lift myself, my legs would dangle in the air, giving me no support; my back screamed equally loud, though in different places <g>
I then propped the pillow on a pulled-out desk drawer; that allowed me to bend at the waist (well... almost <g>), while keeping my feet on the floor. It was much better, since there *is* a natural bend at the waist. But, it does make one's shoulders/chest "dome out", and it does limit the size of the pillow one can reach (especially if your "from the waist up" distance is pitiful <g>)
So, *for me*, the best solution was the Table Mate. Using it, I can sit on a standard chair which allows me to keep my feet on the ground. And I can lower its tray far enough so that it clears my knees/thighs but, at the same time, allows me to bend *at the hips*. That's the most flexible/deepest of all the "natural" bends; it also permits me to extend most of my torso over the pillow, extending my reach -- despite being a runt, I routinely work with 24" pillows (prefer them to smaller ones). The fact that this bend keeps the upper half of my body straight is icing on the cake (which I negate when walking; I tend to "cave in", as people over 6ft tall do <g>)
OTOH, I still have a lap; I can bend at the hips, and touch my shoulders to my knees without any stress (in fact, it releases some unsuspected pressures, just as neck stretches do). What works for one person might not work for another, but dfferent solutions ought to be tried. IMO.
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Tamara P Duvall
Lexington, Virginia, USA
Formerly of Warsaw, Poland
http://lorien.emufarm.org/~tpd/
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