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Toronto ChiropractorDid you know that sitting is the most common cause of Lower Back Pain?
Millions of people sit daily and there is no way business or everyday life could function if we were not able to sit. However, this non-activity that you do is not good for your back.
Let’s get a little more specific here. You know that your back has discs, vertebrae and muscles as the main elements. These elements help the back maintain its normal curve when standing--they give you that hollow in your low back. If you place your open hand on the hollow of your low back while standing, and then sit down, you’ll feel the hollow area change. It flattens into your hand!
This is the big problem with sitting. It changes how your muscles, vertebrae and discs function. When you are standing, the lumbar curve is normal, it reverses when you sit. This places certain parts of the discs under abnormal stresses.
With time, research has shown that due to these additional stresses on the discs, they begin to wear. We call these degenerative discs. Women, because of less bulk and strength in their muscles in their low backs, tend to develop more severe degenerative disc conditions as a result of sitting.
Your muscles also tense when you sit, and the tension initially causes the vertebrae and discs to be drawn closer. With movement, the joints rub, causing pain. This pain elicits protective spasms to further tense the muscles, resulting in more pain and additional wear and tear to your joints and discs.
The easiest things to do to prevent lower back pain are:
a) Take regular breaks from your sitting—get up, move around-- and go for
lunch or evening walks (30 minutes) everyday.
b) Begin a specific Rehab Program to improve the strength of the key
muscles in your pelvic region, which begin to weaken due to your
sitting.
Please share this article with your family, friends and colleagues.
Best regards,
Dr. Don
Click here to find out more about how Dr. Don Fitz-Ritson can help your back pain in Toronto.
