Hey, Jo here again!
I’ve been racking my brain the last few days on what I’m wanting to write my blog on and it came to me while I was sitting watching a bit of evening tv….
Don’t just sit there!!!
Now we all know sitting too much can be bad for you and most of us do feel a little guilty after a long tv binge (usually after watching an omnibus of Corrie or Emerdale on a Sunday)
… but what I wanted to do was to give you a little insight into “What exactly goes wrong in our bodies when we sit down for long periods of time….?”
The best way I can describe is to break it down into stages for you starting with:
……
Muscle Degeneration–
And these can be broken down even further into smaller categories such as:
Mushy Abs:
These are when you stand, or move and sit up straight it is the abdominal muscles which keep you up straight, but when you slump the muscles become unused causing the back muscles to tighten up and therefore the abs become weak which can overtime affect the spines natural arch!
(Try this out now get up from where you are sitting and look at your posture in a mirror, is it hunched over? Perhaps you’ve been sitting for far too long!)
Tight Hips:
Flexible hips help keep you balanced but chronic sitters however rarely extend their hip flexor muscles causing the muscles to become shortened effecting range of motion and stride length.
Limp Gluets:
Sitting requires your gluets to do absolutely nothing and they will become use to this which will knock your stability and decrease your ability to push off and have a powerful stride.
Leg Disorders
Poor Circulation:
Prolonged sitting slows blood circulation which forms fluid to pool in the legs. (Often the reason why your body may feel cold to touch…brrr)
Soft Bones:
Weight-bearing activities such as walking and running help simulate bones to grow thicker, denser and stronger.
Back Pain
Inflexible Spine:
Spines which don’t move become inflexible and susceptible to damage in mundane activities such as when you reach for a coffee or bend down to tie your shoes.
When you move the stiff discs between the vertebra expand and contract like sponges soaking up fresh nutrients, therefore when we are sat the discs become squished unevenly and loose their sponginess which leads to collagen hardening around supporting tendons.
Disc Damage: People who sit a lot more increase their chances of herniated lumbar discs. A muscle called the psoas travels through the abdominals and when it tightens pulls the lower spine forward.
Trouble at the Top
Strained Neck:
For those of you who work in office type job roles sitting at a desk at work carrying your neck forward to a keyboard or tilting to the side cradling a phone while typing which can strain the cervical vertebrae which may lead to a permanent imbalance.
Sore Shoulders and Back:
The neck doesn’t stretch alone, slumping forward overextends the shoulder and back muscles as well.
So what can YOU do to prevent these from happening…? You could try:
……
Sitting on something wobbly:
Such as a balance ball or backless stool to force your core muscles to work. Try siting up straight with both feet flat on the floor in front of you which will support a quarter of your weight.
Stretching the hip flexor:
Whenever there’s a spare few minutes in the office or at home just get up and have a stretch which elongates your hip flexors.
Walking around:
Even as little as every hour stand up and walk from one side of the room to the other to stretch out them underused muscles.(Could be a great excuse for a coffee break…)
Alternative between sitting and standing:
At your work station every 20 minutes even if it’s only for a minute or two it will make all the difference.
Try Yoga:
Yoga can be a very beneficial way for helping with the strengthening of the spine and great for when you are feeing a little stiff after sitting for a long periods of time. The cow-cat stretch in-particular is an excellent pose to perform to improve extension and flexion in your back.
So remember if you think you’ve been sitting about for a little longer then you should have (and we’re all guilty of this) get up and try some of these
Hope you have enjoyed this read.
I’ll be in touch soon
Best Wishes
Jo 🙂
P.S.If you want to find out more ways on how you can avoid back pain take a look here
http://www.paulgoughphysio.com/blog/?p=774
You might know Paul as an expert Columnist who writes weekly health articles for TWO of the North East's biggest daily Newspapers, The Northern Echo And The Hartlepool Mail, he is a regular Speaker at Industry Seminars around the globe and a Radio Personality, often heard on the BBC. Paul has been an expert guest on dozens of Radio shows and regularly interviewed in newspapers, magazines and trade journals all over the world, including the Guardian.
Paul’s background included working extensively in the Premier League with a Top Professional Football Team, and since quitting his job in Professional Football in 2007, his Physio Practice has become the fastest growing in the UK and biggest in the North East. So successful, that companies like BUPA, ASDA, The Vela Group And Coast & Country, repeatedly retain his Physio company's services to keep healthy their own staff and workforce. Paul Gough Physio Rooms is now a large multi-physio, multi clinic speciality practice in Darlington, Durham, Guisborough and Hartlepool.
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