Can Sitting a Lot Cause Back Pain
The average person spends 9 hours per day sitting. More than half of our waking hours are spent in this manner, and it’s hurting our health. Long durations of sitting can lead to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. It also causes excruciating back pain that is difficult to treat with conventional medicines or surgery. Our chiropractic clinic specializes in non-invasive chiropractic care that helps patients recover from the effects of prolonged sitting without the need for conventional medicines or surgery, which most doctors today cannot provide. So, if you’re suffering from the effects of prolonged sitting, our chiropractic clinic can help.
What happens to the body when you sit all day?
Sitting for lengthy periods puts stress on the back muscles and discs in the spine. The spinal discs in your spine act as support pads, and pressure on these pads causes discomfort. When you’re sitting, the pressure on these pads is usually higher than when you’re lying down. Sitting mechanics cause muscle stiffness and strain on the spine’s discs, especially in the lower back.
You consume less energy when you sit than when you stand or move. Long periods of sitting have been related to a variety of health issues, according to research. Obesity is one of them, as is metabolic syndrome, a group of disorders that includes high blood pressure, high blood sugar, extra body fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol levels.
Is standing better than sitting?
Generally, standing at work is preferable to sitting. However, it is better to keep track of how much you stand throughout the day. At work, using a sit-stand desk can help relieve musculoskeletal pain such as back and neck pain, lower blood sugar spikes, and enhance blood circulation. It can also encourage healthy habits such as getting up and moving when you’ve been sitting for too long. Standing does little to reduce your risk of heart disease but standing for long periods can harm your health. However, using an adjustable standing desk at work is preferable to just sitting if you find the proper balance of standing and sitting during the day.
What is an ideal routine to maintain a healthy back for desk jobs?
Many people sit for long periods wrongly, particularly at a desk, which can be detrimental to one’s back and posture. Most people may learn to self-correct and achieve good posture by knowing what good sitting posture looks like and following a few easy principles.
Additional lifestyle adjustments, such as performing various activities and taking movement breaks throughout the day, may also be beneficial. Good sitting habits will undoubtedly help in the improvement of posture and back health. That’s because the muscles, tendons, and ligaments that support posture are involved or impacted by every type of postural position and movement the body makes.
How do you stop back pain from prolonged sitting?
In addition to being inconvenient, poor sitting posture and workplace ergonomics can damage spinal structures over time, leading to recurring bouts of neck and back pain. Here are some crucial suggestions to ensure that your work environment is as comfortable as possible and that your spine is not overworked:
Elbow measure
Start by sitting as near your desk as possible to parallel your upper arms to your spine. Place your hands on your work surface for a moment (e.g., desktop, computer keyboard). Move your chair up or down if your elbows aren’t at a 90-degree angle.
Thigh measure
Make sure you can easily slide your fingertips beneath your thigh at the chair’s leading edge. If it’s too snug, use an adjustable footrest to prop your feet up. If there is more than a finger width between your thigh and the chair, raise your desk/work surface to allow you to lift your chair.
Calf measure
Pass your clenched hand between the back of your calf and the front of your chair with your buttocks against the chair back. If you find it challenging, the chair is excessively deep. You’ll need to move the backrest forward, add lumbar support, or replace the chair altogether.
Lower-back support
Your buttocks should be placed against the chair’s back, and there should be a cushion that forces your lower back to arch slightly so that you don’t slouch forward when you get tired. This support is necessary to keep the weight (strain) on your back to a minimum. Slumping or slouching in your chair puts additional strain on your spine and lumbar discs.
Eye-level
To begin, close your eyes and sit in a comfortable position with your head forward. Open your eyes slowly. The middle of your computer screen should be your focus. It is advisable to raise or lower your computer screen if it is higher or lower than your eyes. If you wear bifocal glasses, make sure the computer screen is adjusted, so you don’t have to crane your neck back to read it or wear full-lens glasses with a near vision adjustment.
Armrest
To begin, raise your chair’s armrest so that it only elevates your arms slightly at the shoulders. You can relieve some of the tension on your neck and shoulders by using an armrest, and you’ll be less inclined to slump forward in your chair.
Conclusion
Long periods of static posture, no matter how relaxed you are at your desk, are bad for your back. Every half-hour, try to remember to stand, stretch, and walk for a minute or two. Regularly moving around and stretching during the day will help keep your joints, ligaments, muscles, and tendons, making you feel more comfortable, relaxed, and productive. Meanwhile, if you have additional questions, feel free to contact us at our chiropractic today. We look forward to seeing you.
