Too Much Sitting 7 Must
These days we all sit too much, often hunched over a keyboard or a smartphone. Sitting puts our joints into a state of sustained flexion, which tightens the muscles that act on those joints. Sitting also weakens the back muscles and can lead to chronic back pain. Doing these seven stretches daily can really help. Hold each of these stretches for 30 seconds. Be sure to breathe deeply and consistently.
Simple Ways To Stop Lower Back Pain From Sitting
2017/06/08
Did you know?
More than half of Americans who experience lower back pain spend most of their workday sitting.
But you dont need these statistics to know that sitting too much can aggravate back pain and even cause lumbar pain in the first place.
The good news is:
Lumbar pain from sitting all day can be quite easily prevented and solved, and this post will show you the 5 easiest and best ways to fix office-work related back pain.
Page Contents
Get Help From A Professional:
Massage – Getting pain treatment through massage is another great way to get rid of pain. While this may be a luxury approach, a monthly massage can be affordable and effective. There are many types of massage options, so be sure to ask about targeting your areas of pain. With the rising accessibility of massage guns, you can also get a frequent and affordable targeted massage. You can get a very high-quality massage gun for a few hundred dollars.
Go to a Chiropractor – Finding a good chiropractor can be the key to relieving your pain. Chiropractors are trained in musculoskeletal manipulation and can identify the cause of your pain and specifically treat areas of pain with specialized procedures. They can also advise you on managing your pain in your day-to-day life and suggest other activities that may help.
Physical Therapy – Often treating patients that have suffered trauma or recovering from surgery, physical therapists and their staff are also more than qualified to help treat back pain. Overlapping with treatment from a chiropractor, seeking help from a physical therapist can be another highly effective option for treating back and neck pain caused by sitting.
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What Is The Best Position To Sit In
First of all, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you really cant be sitting all day long, and not have that tightness and compression happen. So, what is your best position to sit in? Answer: the next position you sit in because the lesson is not to be stationery in one position for too long.
Maybe you use a stool and a chair, maybe you have a big exercise ball. Maybe you can put your computer up on the kitchen counter and you happen to have a high one. You can move things around. Even if you dont have a standing desk, you can figure out different desk arrangements.
Give yourself multiple options each day. Figure out ways to be standing as well as find ways to be using different heights for your seated positions. I have been known to put my computer on a low coffee table and stack up a few blocks and sit on the blocks on the ground.
The goal is to maintain a neutral spine, so you dont get to tuck your tail. Stack up enough blocks or pillows so that you can keep a neutral pelvis.
You dont want to be sitting on the bone at the back of your pelvis, the sacrum. What you want to do is to sit on those sitz bones
Sometimes in order for our sitting bones to point at the floor, we have to do things to release the tension in the back of our body.
Children And Young People
The Australian Health Survey found that toddlers and pre-schoolers spent an average of six hours a day doing some form of physical activity, and one and a half hours having some form of screen time.
These numbers changed dramatically when the survey looked at children and young people . They spend just one and a half hours a day doing physical activities, and over two hours each day on screen time.
The time spent on physical activity grew smaller as the young people got older, while the time spent on screen-based activities grew higher.
Just under half of all children and young people had at least one type of screen in their bedroom. That figure grew to three quarters for young people aged 1517.
The 1517 year age group were the least likely to walk 12,000 steps each day, with only 7 per cent reaching that goal. Younger children, aged 511, were much more likely to walk more during their day .
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What Causes Buttocks Pain
First, we need to discuss why this pain occurs before we understand how to make it go away. Poor posture causes muscle pain, which is the most common reason that people experience buttocks pain from sitting. However, poor posture can also cause different issues when not treated early, including:
These conditions, and more, are also worsened by sitting in uncomfortable and unsupportive chairs.
Ways To Avoid Sitting Yourself To Death
1. Standing desk
If its possible, get a standing desk.
If you work for yourself, buy one as soon as possible. Stay tuned for an upcoming post about transitioning to one. I learned a lot when I did it three years ago.
They dont have to be expensive. You can buy a top of the line one for less than $1,000 or do as I did and buy a bar table . I use a stool that cost less than $30 when I need to sit for a moment.
Or you can build your own for less than $200 .
2. Talk to your employer
If you work for someone else, talk to your employer about the benefit of standing desks. Their $300-400 investment is more than worth it when it increases your productivity even 5%.
Consider that they are likely paying $50,000 in salary and $5,000+ in healthcare costs. If they get 5% more productivity and save even $100 in healthcare costs, they recoup the cost of the desks within a month or two.
If nothing else, have them consider treadmill desk stations or something similar so that you can do mundane tasks such as checking email or viewing training videos while walking at a slow pace or standing.
3. Get up and move
If you must sit, at least set a timer to get up and move every 30 minutes. Yes, that is 16 times a day in an 8-hour workday.
You dont have to run a mile every 30 minutes, just get up and stretch for 30 seconds or walk to the water cooler and back. Every third break or so, take 5 minutes to refocus and go for a quick walk or do a five-minute workout.
4. Be antsy
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How Your Back Works
The spine, which is also called the backbone or spinal column, is one of the strongest parts of the body and gives us a great deal of flexibility and strength.
Its made up of 24 bones, known as vertebrae, one sitting on top of the other. These bones have discs in between and lots of strong ligaments and muscles around them for support. There are also the bones in the tailbone at the bottom of the back, which are fused together and have no discs in between.
On either side of the spine, running from top to bottom, are many small joints called the facet joints.
The spinal cord passes inside the vertebrae, which protect it.
The spinal cord connects to the brain through the base of the skull and to the rest of the body by nerves that pass through spaces between the bones of the spine. These nerves are also known as nerve roots.
As you grow older, the structures of your spine, such as the joints, discs and ligaments, age as well. The structures remain strong but its usual for your back to get stiffer as you get older.
Effortless Lumbar Pain Relief: Infrared Light Therapy
If you want to relieve your pain while you sit and work uninterrupted infrared therapy is one of your best options.
Infrared heat penetrates deep into your muscles, up to 4 cm into your tissues increasing local blood circulation and bringing pain-relieving and healing components faster.
Here are the 2 best options:
1. Shiatsu infrared heat cushion using an infrared heat cushion, combined with infrared heat is an effective way to relieve lumbar pain without interrupting your work.
For example, this low-cost cushion has 4 deep-kneading rotating nodes with soothing infrared heat and has a car adapter.
You can also get a full-back infrared heat shiatsu massage cushion see my reviews for the 3 best ones HERE.
2. Infrared heat belt this Jade stoned infrared heat belt can be wrapped around your lower back comfortably and is made of high-quality materials.
It comes with a digital controller and a timer and its perfect if you dont like massage and just want to enjoy the deeply penetrating and soothing heat to relieve your back pain.
A lower-cost option is this infrared heat belt, which delivers infrared rays via carbon fibers.
Note: do not use infrared heat belts if you are pregnant or suffer from a serious health condition without consulting with your doctor.
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What Other Steps Can Help Reduce Hip Pain
Movement can make the difference in reducing hip pain at work. Keep your muscles loose by taking standing or walking breaks frequently.
“I recommend if you are in a sitting job, you get up every hour,” Zambon said. “Walk or stretch your hip flexors or hamstrings and hip joints as well. Even 5 to 10 minutes of walking can help, even if it’s at lunch or after work before you get into the car. At the end of the day, do a good hamstring stretch or hip flexor stretch, as well as some gentle core work.”
Zambon suggests simple core exercises such as pelvic tilts or bridging to help stretch those key hip areas.
“If you’re having pain you can’t relieve within 30 minutes after you leave work, gentle stretching on your own should do the trick,” Zambon said. “If you have pain when you wake up, or with whatever you’re doing progresses through the evening, it’s a good time to contact a physician.”
Apply Hot And Cold Packs
Using hot and cold packs to relieve pain is a tradition thats as old as time. To use the hot and cold method, you need to have both a heating pack and a cold pack. Heating packs that plug into the wall are a great idea, as they heat up quickly, and you dont have to worry about microwaving them.
Heat opens up your blood vessels, helping to assist in the healing process and alleviating some of your pain. Heat also increases blood flow, which can help with stiff joints. You should use heat for 15-20 minutes before switching to a cold pack.
Ice and cold packs help to relieve swelling, pain, and inflammation. You should use an ice pack or other icing method for about 10-15 minutes. You should ice the sore area about three times a day. You should leave a few hours in between icing and heating your skin, dont switch back and forth rapidly.
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Switch To An Ergonomic Office Chair
One of the most important things to change when your back hurts from sitting is your chair.
The National Institute of Health recommends choosing a chair with all of the necessary adjustments to support proper posture.
Lower back support in an ergonomic chair is very important.
Sitting for long periods of time without supporting the inward curve of your back causes slouching and causes strain to the low back muscles.
I know you probably dont want to spend a lot of money on a chair, so I found the most cost-effective ergonomic chair to help you prevent back pain and increase your productivity.
You can get the Alera Elusion Series Chair for less than $200 on .
You can find instructions to adjust your ergonomic chair HERE.
Note: through my personal experience and a lot of trial and error, Ive discovered the best chair for me is a balance ball chair. See my post about why I switched to it HERE.
Why Are My Hips Stiff After Sitting
Stiffness in your hips after sitting aren’t simply a reflection of getting old. Often, this stiffness is simply a reflection of your hips and legs being in the same posture for an extended period of time.
“When you sit with your knees bent, your hamstrings are in a relaxed, shortened position, and your hip flexors are at the maximum shortened length,” said Kirsten Zambon, DPT, CLT-LANA, a physical therapist at Franciscan Health Lafayette East. “Hip pain from sitting can be from poor posture, but if you’re sitting 40 to 50 hours week over 5, 6 months or longer, you probably have decreased strength in your hips. When you do get up from your desk, your glutes, core and hip extensors will be weaker, and you dont feel as strong.”
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How To Relieve The Pain
If you’re experiencing back pain when sitting, your impulse may be to lie down and then try to slowly progress back to sitting, says Dr. Atlas. But this is the wrong approach. You should lie down to relieve the pain, but the goal should be not to return to sitting, but rather to regain your ability to stand and move. “The goal isn’t to get into the chair. The goal is to start moving. Walking is better than sitting,” he says. Movement is often the best medicine when it comes to relieving pain.
How Long Should You Sit For
According to the British Journal Of Sports Medicine, the latest research reveals that people really need to revamp their thinking when it comes to the norms of sitting.
An office worker sits for an average of 10 hours per day, which is only a portion of the sitting they do at home in front of the television once clock-out from work.
Medical experts are saying that individuals should be standing for at least 2 hours out of an 8-hour working period.
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Your Lumbar Discs Are Getting Crunched
Your spine is practically begging you to stand. An upright position puts the discs in your lower back in proper alignment and minimizes the pressure they endure. Sitting, on the other hand, forces the vertebrae to crunch down onto each other and bear a lot more force, increasing the risk of chronic lower back pain.
“When you’re sitting, your spine is compressing. In space, you get taller by 1-2 inches, and if you lay in bed, you’ll also get taller, because your discs are expanding. But when astronauts return from space or people get out of bed, their vertebrae collapse onto each other and cause pain. This is also happening when you sit for a long period of time,” said Vernikos.
One big culprit of the pain from a compressed spine is the damage done to the cushioning between the discs.
“The muscles have weakened and the vertebrae start collapsing, squeezing the padding and nerves between the discs. This is a huge source of pain,” Vernikos added.
Here’s the good news: Studies conducted by Vernikos and other researchers have discovered that adjusting your position every 15-30 minutes prevents changes to your lumbar discs. So go ahead and get a fresh coffee, gossip with a colleague, gaze out the window — do anything other than sitting a few times an hour, and you won’t feel so much pain later on.
You’re Sitting With Rounded Shoulders
“We were meant to move, and move frequently,” says Tom Holland, MS, CSCS, CISSN, an exercise physiologist and author of The Micro-Workout Plan: Get the Body You Want without the Gym in 15 Minutes or Less a Day. “So many things in life are pulling us forward: Gravity, the fact we generally work on our ‘mirror muscles’ and, yes, sitting for extended periods of time.”
According to Holland, these are just some of the physical manifestations that you’re sitting way too much:
Rounded shoulders
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Buy An Ergonomic Chair And/or Standing Desk
In most cases, sitting down for an extended period is unavoidable. In these situations, choosing an ergonomically friend chair preferably one with lumbar support can help diminish the risks of developing back pain. Its also crucial to buy a desk that can work with your setup, and relieve some of the pressure you normally experience when sitting down.
Keep in mind that simply buying an ergonomic chair isnt enough: you need to make the necessary adjustments to fit your entire setup. You can consult an online guide about how to set up an ergonomic chair though consulting your doctor is still the best option.
How Does A Sedentary Lifestyle Affect Your Body
Humans are built to stand upright. Your heart and cardiovascular system work more effectively that way. Your bowel also functions more efficiently when you are upright. It is common for people who are bedridden in hospital to experience problems with their bowel function.
When you are physically active, on the other hand, your overall energy levels and endurance improve, and your bones maintain strength.
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