How long do you sit in a typical daily routine?
Are you at an office desk? Do long periods of sitting cause you to have any pain in your neck, shoulders or lower back? In fact, a recent study showed that the typical American sits for nearly 13 hours a day. This information does not include our six to eight hours of sleep each night. In theory, the average American is sitting or laying down for 19 to 21 hours each day. With an increased sedentary lifestyle, our posture can be reduced from little to none. Correcting our sitting posture can substantially reduce the chance of back, shoulder and neck pain.
One of the most common issues of poor sitting posture is found in the neck and upper back.
The term “hunchback syndrome” goes with someone who’s spine is curved at more than a 40-45-degree angle and is common with someone who sits and uses a keyboard for long periods of time. Increased spine angle can cause pain in the neck and between the shoulder blades. Individuals in this situation are commonly tight in the chest and shoulder area and have weak back musculature. To improve this issue, stretch out the muscles in your chest and shoulders and strengthen the muscles of your upper back and traps.
Sitting at an office chair for long periods can cause your head to move forward. Over time, the muscles in your neck and upper back can become tight and immobile. Naturally, your body will try to avoid this discomfort and move further forward and away from the pain. The best way to prevent this is to practice proper head posture and slide your head backward. Don’t forget to keep your line of sight pointed ahead and not downward. If you sit in front of a computer, try adjusting the position of your monitor so that your line of sight is forward, thus relieving neck and head tension.
Lower back pain can be caused by several things.
After sitting for long periods of time, the quadriceps and musculature on the front of the leg can become tight. This tightness may cause your pelvis to excessively tilt forward. The excessive tilt will cause the muscles in your butt to not work properly resulting in your hamstrings to become excessively stretched. This stretching will result in more tightness and discomfort. To fight this, try stretching your hamstrings and hip flexor muscles while increasing the strength in the musculature in your butt through forms of glute bridges.
Although sitting is a daily task that can not be avoided, finding ways to adjust little things in your posture can improve your life, reduce pain and better your posture. To reflect, strengthening muscles in the posterior chain (backside of the body) and stretching musculature on the front of the body can substantially increase your body’s wellbeing while sitting. Don’t forget to consistently think about how you are sitting during certain points throughout the day and correct it. Remember to keep your chest up and your shoulders back. Also, don’t be afraid to stand up every 30 to 45 minutes to give your body that much-needed rest it deserves. Using these tips may reduce or remove the chance for current or future pain.
If you have questions, need further assistance with any of these postural cues, or are looking for other ways to improve. Feel free to email me. I would be happy to help.
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References
Common posture mistakes and fixes – Live Well – NHS Choices. (n.d.)
Ergotron. (2013, July 17). New Survey: To Sit or Stand? Almost 70% of Full Time American Workers Hate
