Health risks associated with sitting for long periods

​                    If your job requires you to work at a desk, it is very possible that you spend more time sitting than you do at anything else in life. Despite this fact many people do not know the health risks involved with extended periods of sitting, or do anything to help avoid these risks. By implementing a series of simple steps you cannot only improve your posture and avoid neck, shoulder, back and hip pain, but you can also reduce your chances of getting one of the potentially life-threatening diseases which are now being linked to sitting for long periods. 

The most common issues people suffer from are: 

• ​Neck pain: Craning your neck forward while looking at a screen or tilting your head to cradle a phone creates a muscle imbalance and can damage the joints and ligaments in your neck.
• Shoulder and Back pain: When the neck is extended forward the shoulders will also start to slouch and round forward towards the chest. Slumping shoulders causes our shoulder blades to drift apart and puts the spine out of alignment. Sitting for long periods also places uneven pressure on your discs and this can lead to a bulging disc and nerve pain.
• Lower back and hip pain: Extended sitting leaves you with weak abdominal muscles and tight lower back muscles which result in a muscle imbalance and generally leads to pain in the lumbar spine. While seated, your hip flexor muscles will become short and tight while your glutes become weak. This results in reduced hip movement and loss of balance and power in the hip joints.  

Recent studies have shown an increase in more serious non musculoskeletal conditions such as:

• Heart disease
• Certain cancers
• Type 2 diabetes
• Osteoporosis
• High blood pressure, cholesterol and weight gain
• Poor blood circulation and in some cases DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) 

How to avoid these risks

                    There are a number of ways to improve your working environment if you are required to sit at a desk for long periods. Firstly, lay out your desk in a posture friendly way.

• Your chair should be set at a height where your feet are both comfortably flat on the ground, your forearms should be parallel to the ground and resting on an arm support, meaning you shouldn’t need to reach up to the keyboard, your shoulders should be relaxed and back and you should be sitting tall.  
•  The computer monitor should be at a height where your eyes are level with the top of the screen and you do not have to adjust the angle of your neck to see. Having to look down or up at the screen automatically increases the pressure on your neck and spine.
•  Why not look into the possibility of getting a standing desk. While they may take a little while to get used to, they are becoming much more popular and are having a profound effect on employee health.  

                    To help avoid the more serious consequences of long term sitting you will need to bring movement and activity into your office environment. You need to be active for at least 1-3 minutes every 30 minutes. Set a reminder for yourself, either an alarm on your phone or a note on your screen. Take the stairs over the elevator and stretch your neck, shoulders and back when possible. Stay standing during your breaks and go for a walk after eating rather than sitting straight down. You will burn 30% more calories standing up than sitting down, your blood flow will increase keeping your brain and heart active and you will reduce pressure on your internal organs.

Exercising for an hour or more in the evening will not undo the damage done by sitting for 6-8 hours a day.

The impact of regular movement, even basic movement, will have hugely beneficial effects on your body.

As a Physical Therapist I am qualified to treat any neck, shoulder, back or hip pain you may have developed from sitting or poor posture. If you have any queries about the treatments available or to book an appointment please do not hesitate to call.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post.
George