Most of us are aware that it is important to try to, not
only, not sit for long periods of time, but also to maintain good posture while
we sit. But do you know why? What really happens to your body that is that much
different from standing versus sitting? Did you know that sitting for long
periods of time is detrimental to both your spine AND your organs?
Most people probably associate sitting too much with back
pain and don’t even realize the effects that long-term sitting can have on your
organs and bodily functions. Believe it or not, prolonged sitting is linked to
high blood pressure and cholesterol because inactive muscles allow fatty acids to
accumulate in your vessels, which more easily clogs the heart. People who sit
more often are twice as likely to develop cardiovascular disease as opposed to
those who are more active. Another organ that can be affected is your pancreas.
The pancreas produces insulin, which is a hormone that carries glucose to your
cells to be used for energy. Cells in unused muscles do not respond as readily
to insulin, so your pancreas produces more and more insulin due to the lack of
reaction, which then, of course, leads to diabetes and other diseases. Studies
show that even one day of prolonged sitting can lead to a decline in insulin
response. Extended sitting has also been linked to colon, breast, and
endometrial cancer due to increased cell growth by raised insulin levels.
Increased cell growth leads to metastasis (cancer). Movement boosts natural antioxidants in your body and helps to
kill damaging, cancer-causing free radicals.
Prolonged sitting has detrimental effects on not only your
spine, but also your Central Nervous System. Body movement encourages fresh
blood and oxygen to pump through your brain and triggers the release of brain
and other mood enhances chemicals. When you sit for a long period of time, you
may notice a decrease in your ability to focus, conceive ideas, or even
communicate properly. When I was in Chiropractic school, most of our professors
encouraged us to both stand during class and to go out and walk around in
between classes. I noticed a significant difference in my ability to understand
things when I was up moving around ever so often, versus sitting all day with
no physical movement.
Neck strain is a common problem associated with sitting too
much and when experienced regularly, you are at greater risk for permanent
imbalances in your cervical (neck) vertebra. When we sit for long periods of
time, we are typically doing something that causes our head to be bent slightly
down. This puts a large amount of stress on the back of our neck muscles. There
is a quick example I show my new patients to better understand this, which is
having them hold a 5 pound ball with one hand out in front of them, elbow bent,
and wrist bent backwards to support the ball. It’s easy to see how much easier
it is to hold the ball with your wrist bent backwards then to bend your wrist
forwards. Well this is what your neck goes through every day while trying to
hold your head up when you are bent forward at your desk. We all have a natural
curve in our neck that curves backwards and when we are bent over all day, the muscles
on the back of our neck are having to work too hard and become strained, which
leads to shoulder tension as well.
Lack of movement also leads to an inflexible spine, which
makes you more susceptible to injury with mundane activities like bending to
pick up a piece of paper, for example. I’m sure many of you know one person or
another who have bent to pick up something small like that and then claim to
have “thrown their back out.” This complaint could be due to many things, but
most commonly includes either muscle spasms or a disc herniation. Movement
encourages the discs between your vertebra to expand and contract like sponges,
soaking up fresh blood and nutrients. Lack of movement causes discs to become
weak by losing their sponginess. Another cause of disc herniation is by a tight
psoas muscle. Your psoas muscles travel through your abdominal cavity and
becomes tight when in a flexed, seated posture. A tight psoas pulls your upper
lumbar spine forward causing your upper body weight to rest entirely on your
ischial tuberosities (sit bones) instead of being evenly distributed along the
arch of your spine, putting greater pressure on your discs.
Prolonged sitting has an effect on us later on in life as
well. Studies have shown that a decrease in hip mobility is a main reason why
so many of our elderly tend to fall. Chronic sitters experience tighter hips
due to shortened hip flexor muscles, which then leads to a shorter stride and
subsequent problems with balance. Weight-bearing exercise (walking and running)
is very important as well, to stimulate hip and lower body bones to grow
thicker, denser, and stronger, which is why recent surges in osteoporosis have
been attributed to lack of physical activity.
For those of us who are vain, there can generate problems
with our appearance that stem from excess sitting as well. When you are
upright, you are naturally toning your core/stomach muscles as well as your
glutes. I don’t know about you, but I sure don’t want mushy abs or limp glutes.
Problems with circulation are other common troubles that can be associated,
which include ankle swelling, varicose veins, especially if you cross your
legs, and even something as serious as blood clots can occur. On the flip side
though, some of these are common problems with people who are on their feet all
day, so just like everything else, moderation is key.
A lot of you have no choice but to sit for prolonged periods
of time because of your job or school, but taking a simple one-minute break
every hour or so can make a significant difference in your quality of life.
Making sure that you sit properly is very important as well to prevent not
only, many of the problems I have described, but also to maintain spinal and
muscular health and balance. First of all, sit up straight, right on your sit
bones; no slouching. Be sure that you have your chair positioned so that your
legs are parallel to the floor; your chair shouldn’t be too high or too
low. Also make sure that your feet are flat
on the floor. That means no leg crossing! This puts a large amount of strain
and torque on your low back and hips especially. If, at the very least, cross
your ankles underneath you if you can’t quite go cold turkey yet. Gentlemen
should also stop sitting with their wallets in their back pockets because this
is just as harmful to your low back as crossing your legs. It doesn’t matter
how thin it is, simply take your wallet out while you sit and you can replace
it when you stand. Something else people don’t even consider is the height of
their computer screen. Make sure your computer screen is elevated up to eye
level to decrease neck strain of looking down. Stacking some books under your
screen can easily alleviate this problem.
For those of you who simply cannot maintain good posture
while sitting, it may be beneficial to try a lumbar (low back) support, which
will force you to sit up straight. If this still doesn’t do the trick, try
sitting on a big wobbly exercise ball. This will not only force you to sit up
straight, but you will also get a little core workout…it may also help you to
focus a little better because you will have to stay more alert as to not lose
your balance and take a tumble.
Chiropractic is very beneficial to those who experience
prolonged sitting because once your spine is aligned, it is easier to maintain
good posture. Your Chiropractor can also show you some easy stretches to do at
home to help loosen up your tight hip flexors and also to relax your strained
neck muscles. Remember, motion is life and lack of movement leads to pain.
