Sitting
and Neck and Back Pain
by Craig Liebenson
Is
Sitting a Pain in Your Back?
More people miss work for back pain than any other ailment
except the common cold. In fact, back pain is the single most
expensive disease in the world, costing more that $50 billion
per year in the U.S. Gordon Waddell, a British orthopedic
surgeon, recently wrote in an award-winning paper in the journal
Spine that "Conventional medical treatment for low
back pain has failed and the role of medicine in the present
epidemic must be critically examined." He went on to say that
management of back pain must change from a passive one of
rest to an active one of restoring function. In recognition
of this new agenda for managing back pain, this article will
focus on one of the biggest causes of back pain - prolonged
sitting.
Why Would Sitting Be Bad for My Back?
Prolonged sitting along with bending, twisting and lifting
are the major mechanical causes of back pain. Many people
believe that humankind's recent evolution to the standing
posture is the cause of back pain, however this does not explain
why it is a 20th century epidemic. As it turns out, the spine
is designed to be upright, but what creates muscle tension,
joint strain, and disc pressure in the sitting posture. After
only 15 to 20 minutes of sitting at a desk or computer station
the back muscles become fatigued. Like any other mechanical
structure that tires, the back begins to fail. As muscles
become overloaded in this posture, they tighten to protect
themselves. This protective reaction by the body eventually
leads to back pain.
How Can I Relax My Back Muscles?
The first and most important thing to do is to stand up frequently.
Micro breaks every 20 minutes are crucial to preventing
the muscles from tightening. Simply standing up and extending
the lower back a few times will help. A short walk every hour
also reinvigorates the back muscles. Gentle exercise has two
effects - first, it brings nutrients, like oxygen, into the
muscles; and second, it drains irritating toxins away from
the painful area. The result is that we break the self-sustaining
pain-tension cycle which otherwise is gradually building up.
Another important way to reduce the ill effects of prolonged
sitting is to use an ergonomically designed chair or
work station. (Ergonomics is the study of placing human
beings in their environment.) The L.A. Times reduced a
multi-million dollar back, neck, shoulder, and wrist problem
among its employees by 50% by implementing improvements in
the work station and encouraging employees to take frequent
short stretch breaks. A new San Francisco ordinance was
just passed requiring up to $250 per work station be spent
on improvements. Pac Bell announced it would spend more than
$8 million during the next four years to help reduce sitting-related
aches and pains. The U.S. government (NIOSH) has already found
that ergonomic work stations result in an immediate 24% increase
in work performance. |
