Call us to set up an appointment! 708-220-6809

Effects of Sitting Combatted by West Palm Beach Exercise and Not Sitting!

“Sitting. It’s the new smoking.” You’ve heard it. Chiropractic Care sees the effects of sitting in our West Palm Beach chiropractic practice in the form of back pain, neck pain and associated issues. Let’s look at sitting and being sedentary workers and what we can do about it.

SITTING COMPARISON TO SMOKING

Is the sitting and smoking a little glaring? Maybe. One medical report uncovered that 300 news articles mention this claim! (1) Harsh or not, it does draw attention to the concern that sitting a lot is not healthy for anyone. 25% of adults West Palm Beach chiropractic patients and adults included sit more than 8 hours daily. Older adults supposedly sit for even more time. (2) Chiropractic Care knows 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 tell us that the activity level of low back pain suffers is low. Of 300 patients, 32.5% live sedentary lives, 48.5% had underactive lifestyles, and 68.3% of them didn’t do any activity to boost muscle strength or flexibility. (3) Continued sitting created a risk for all-cause mortality independent of physical activity even if it’s of moderate to vigorous effort. The best suggestion is to reduce the quantity of sitting not just increase physical activity levels. (4) Chiropractic Care encourages both, too!

WHAT CAN WE DO? EXERCISE (AND A BONUS: RESPIRATION IMPROVEMENT)

One author asserted the conundrum of the “exercise to buffer sitting’s effect” implication as an “inconvenient truth”: a few weekly trips to the gym isn’t able to really wipe away a lifetime of sitting. He also shared that fixing the sitting issue by standing has its own issues (beyond its being uncomfortable!) like varicose veins and foot pain. (5) So what then, especially for low back pain sufferers? Dynamic strengthening exercises – those that focus on core and global stabilization as well as endurance in stabilizing musculature – displayed better improvement in pain relief and better function particularly in the lumbar multifidus and transversus abdominus which are two muscles that low back pain affects. (6) More specifically, a 20-week lumbar stabilization exercise and muscle strengthening exercise program reduced low back pain and functional disability in sedentary workers. A lumbar stabilization exercise program was more helpful and lasted for 12 weeks. (7) A bonus to lumbar segmental stabilization exercise is that it activated the deep muscles and boosted respiratory function and pressure in chronic low back pain patient who had segmental instability. (8) Respiration is a big deal! Another study showed that forced breathing exercise therapy effectively improved trunk stability and daily living activities in chronic low back pain patients, particularly for those with chronic lumbago in whom these exercises decreased pain. (9) Exercise works! It isn’t everything for us sedentary folks, but exercise is a piece of the puzzle.

CONTACT Chiropractic Care

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 West Palm Beach chiropractic appointment with Chiropractic Care today. If “sitting is the new smoking” issue defines you and back pain complicates it, West Palm Beach chiropractic care is for you…together with striving to not sit so much and exercising a bit more!

 
Chiropractic Care urges less sitting and more exercising to combat back pain and other pain issues. 
« View All Featured Exercises
"This information and website content is not intended to diagnose, guarantee results, or recommend specific treatment or activity. It is designed to educate and inform only. Please consult your physician for a thorough examination leading to a diagnosis and well-planned treatment strategy. See more details on the DISCLAIMER page. Content is reviewed by Dr. James M. Cox I."