Sitting can be deadly

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.