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Effects of Sitting Combatted by Richmond Exercise and Not Sitting!

“Sitting. It’s the new smoking.” You have surely heard this claim. Johnson Chiropractic sees the effects of sitting in our Richmond chiropractic practice in the form of back pain, neck pain and associated issues. Let us consider 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 found that 300 news articles mention this claim! (1) Harsh or not, it does call attention to the issue that sitting a lot isn’t healthy for anyone. 25% of adults including Richmond chiropractic patients and adults sit more than 8 hours a day. Older adults supposedly sit for even more time. (2) Johnson Chiropractic knows we all sit. We are not shaming you! We are with you!

THE STATE OF NSCLBP in SEDENTARY WORKERS

Sitting is what we do. Researchers document 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 did not do any activity to increase muscle strength or flexibility. (3) Continued sitting presented a risk for all-cause mortality unrelated to 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) Johnson Chiropractic encourages both, too!

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

One author opined the conundrum of the “exercise to buffer sitting’s effect” suggestion as an “inconvenient truth”: a few weekly visits to the fitness center isn’t able to really wipe away a lifetime of sitting. He also shared 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, especially for low back pain sufferers? Dynamic strengthening exercises – those that concentrate on core and global stabilization plus 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 decreased low back pain and functional disability in sedentary workers. A lumbar stabilization exercise program was more effective and lasted for 12 weeks. (7) An advantage 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 enhanced 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 works! It isn’t everything for us sedentary folks, but exercise is a piece of the puzzle.

CONTACT Johnson Chiropractic

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 irritates us sitting folks.

Schedule you Richmond chiropractic appointment with Johnson Chiropractic today. If “sitting is the new smoking” issue defines you and back pain makes matters worse, Richmond chiropractic care is for you…together with striving to not sit so much and exercising a little more!

 
Johnson Chiropractic urges less sitting and more exercising to combat back pain and other pain issues. 
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"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."