Lower back pain when sitting – what does it mean?

What is actually happening to our bodies while sitting for long periods of time? According to Bonnie Berkowitz and Pattison Clark of the Washington Post, the physiological results are extensive.

Bad sitting posture, source: Minki Kim Structural Integration

While sitting for long periods of time our bodies may be exposed to  the following:

  • Organ damage to the heart and pancreas
  • Muscle degeneration
  • Inflexible spine and disk damage
  • Leg disorders

While the aforementioned are usually occurring little to our knowledge, lower back pain when sitting is outlined as a main side effect of being sedentary for long periods of time.

Health professional analysis

As a chiropractor, Nerida Blackstone estimates about 75% of her clients suffer from lower back pain. These people often share one of the following in common:

  • They work a job where they sit from 9-5
  • They perform inappropriate lifting and repetitive movements
  • They don’t exercise or stretch regularly

Correct standing & sitting posture, Source: Charleston Workers Comp.

If you are one of these people, according to Ms. Blackstone, getting your workstation inspected by a workplace health and safety expert is essential to assist in relieving lower back pain when sitting. This is to ensure you are not:

– Over-reaching for your phone
– Hunching over your keyboard
– Looking down to your computer screen
– Bending and twisting to reach your printer

Strategies to reduce lower back pain when sitting

To assist in the management of lower back pain when sitting in the workplace, health professionals and business people have endorsed the following:

  • Walking and standing meetings
  • Stretching at frequent intervals and getting up every 20 minutes
  • A standing desk

Written by Maxime

Last Updated: November, 7, 2020 Picture Credits: Ergonofis

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