“Sitting. It’s the new smoking.” You have surely
heard this claim. New Roads Chiropractic Center sees the effects of sitting in our
New Roads chiropractic practice in the form of back pain, neck pain
and associated issues. Let us discuss
sitting and being sedentary workers and what we can do
about it.
SITTING COMPARISON TO SMOKING
Is the sitting and smoking a little harsh?
Maybe. One medical report uncovered that 300 news articles mention this claim! (1) Glaring or not, it does highlight
the issue that
sitting a lot isn’t healthy for anyone. 25% of adults including New Roads
chiropractic patients and adults sit more than 8 hours a day.
Older adults supposedly sit even more.
(2) New Roads Chiropractic Center realizes we all sit. We’re not
shaming you! We are with you!
THE STATE OF NSCLBP in SEDENTARY WORKERS
Sitting is what we do. Researchers report to us
that low back pain
sufferers’ activity levels are low. Of 300 patients, 32.5% live sedentary
lives, 48.5% had underactive lifestyles, and 68.3% of them did
not do any activity to boost muscle strength
or flexibility. (3) Continued sitting presented a risk for
all-cause mortality separate from physical
activity even if it is of moderate to vigorous effort. The best
suggestion is to reduce sitting time
not just increase physical activity levels. (4) New Roads Chiropractic Center encourages
both, too!
WHAT CAN WE DO? EXERCISE (AND A BONUS: RESPIRATION
IMPROVEMENT)
One author asserted the challenge
of the “exercise to buffer sitting’s effect” implication as an
“inconvenient truth”: a few weekly visits to the fitness center
can’t really wipe away a lifetime of sitting. He
also contended that fixing the sitting issue by standing has its
own problems (beyond its being uncomfortable!) like foot pain and varicose veins. (5) So what then, particularly
for low back pain sufferers? Dynamic strengthening exercises – those that focus
on core and global stabilization as well as endurance in stabilizing
musculature – showed better improvement in pain relief and better
function particularly in the lumbar multifidus and transversus
abdominus which are two muscles that low back pain bothers.
(6) More precisely, a 20-week lumbar stabilization exercise
and muscle strengthening exercise program decreased low back pain
and functional disability in sedentary workers. A lumbar stabilization exercise
program proved more helpful and lasted
for 12 weeks. (7) A bonus to lumbar segmental stabilization
exercise is that it activated the deep muscles and enhanced
respiratory function and pressure in chronic low back pain patient who had
segmental instability. (8) Respiration is important! Another study
demonstrated that forced breathing exercise therapy effectively improved
trunk stability and daily living activities in chronic low back pain patients, especially
for those with chronic lumbago in whom these exercises reduced
pain. (9) Exercise helps! It is not
everything for us sedentary folks, but exercise is a part of the solution.
CONTACT New Roads Chiropractic Center
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Shawn Nelson on The Back Doctors Podcast about The
Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management’s role in back pain
management to help a runner re-gain his stride despite his facet syndrome back
pain condition that bothers us sitting folks.
Schedule you New Roads chiropractic appointment
with New Roads Chiropractic Center today. If “sitting is the new smoking” issue describes
you and back pain makes matters worse, New Roads
chiropractic care is for you…besides striving
to not sit that much and exercising a little
more!