Jackson Chiropractic Newsletter |
June 2020 www.GilAndStacyChiropractic.com |
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Sitting Can Be Hazardous to Your Health! Sitting at the computer is so much part of our life that we forget that just one hundred years ago our lifestyle would have been quite different. In the past, there were no computers, TVs, ipods, telephones, etc. and we would have been more active during the day. Sitting for hours would have been a fairly rare occurrence. Most of us do not realize the toll that our "information age" lifestyle can take on our body (and mind). When we sit, we "load" our discs (the cartilage shock absorbers between our spinal vertebrae). In other words, more physical pounds of pressure are exerted on our discs when we are sitting versus standing. In January 2010, the British Journal of Sports Medicine tracked 17,000 people over a twelve year period. The finding included higher death rates for people who sat longer. "After four hours of sitting, the body starts to send harmful signals", Ekblom-Bak said. She explained that genes regulating the amount of glucose and fat in the body start to shut down. "Even for people who exercise, spending long stretches of time sitting at a desk is still harmful", according to Tim Armstrong, a physical activity expert at the World Health Organization. He said that people who exercise every day-but still spend a lot of time sitting- might get more benefit it that exercise were spread across the day, rather than in a single period. Of course, the results were preliminary and we can always assume a causal relationship. Even so, the study should make us take a more serious look at sitting and what we can do to get up off our chairs. The number one thing that we should do is to simply remember to get up every 20 to 30 minutes and move and/or stretch. This is important for anyone, and not only people with back pain. Also, carefully choose a supportive chair and make sure that your feet rest flat on the floor. You may need to attach a supportive cushion to your office chair or car seat. Please let me know if you would like more information on specific stretches and exercises while sitting. I can also help you choose supportive cushions that you may need. |
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