Health & Fitness
Get off your Butt! It is hurting your back. Part II
I the previous article I chronicled the negative effects of long term sitting on your lower back. In review, the longer you sit the more you stretch the lumbar spinal ligaments that stabilize your spine and the weaker your spinal muscles become over time. Many people work in sedentary occupations and spend numerous hours sitting at a desk, to the detriment of their lumbar spines. In this article I will discuss some ways to counteract the negative effects of long term sitting.
Microbreak has become a newer term in the ergonomic world. Essentially taking a microbreak, means taking a relatively small amount of time (1-5 minutes) to change your posture or perform some simple exercises to reduce the effects of being stationary or sitting for long periods of time. A microbreak should be performed about every half hour, and can include something as simple as just standing up at your desk, walking to the water cooler or can be more involved such as performing some simple back bends and side stretches. The point of the microbreak is that it be short, to avoid interruptions in your productivity, and that it be performed frequently to maximize its effectiveness. Just standing for a few minutes every hour can reduce the amount that spinal ligaments stretch over the course of the day.
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Spinal support in a properly fit chair can help to reduce the amount of spinal slouching or breakdown in spinal posture. Research has shown that our seated posture breaks down in as little as 10 minutes, even for individuals that are actively trying to maintain good posture. What does this mean? It means that we need help, in the form of lumbar support. That support should be in the “small” of our backs (lower lumbar spine) as this is where our posture first begins to break down. A lumbar support either built into the chair or added to the chair can be very beneficial. If your chair first contacts your spine in the mid back (thoracic spine) then it is contributing to poor posture. Basic spinal supports such as a lumbar roll can be strapped into your chair and or car seat and can be very effective.
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Follow my next post for more ways to counteract the negative effects of extended sitting at work.