Tips for Prolonged Sitting

Take a Load Off Your Spine With Good Posture!

It’s back to school time and the start of the school year looks very different for most students here in Lake Travis and across the world this year as online learning is the mode of schooling for most.

During this time of adaptation to new forms of digital communication and education this year, there’s one thing that the body can never truly adapt to, and that’s PROLONGED SITTING!

DID YOU KNOW that sitting can increase disc pressure in the spine by 300 percent when compared to standing? When such compression is repetitive and prolonged, it can lead to degenerative numbness, pain and weakness in the spine.

Did you know that sitting too long may have a more long-term effect on children?

*** It’s estimated that children spend up to 85% of their waking hours sitting, which means they'll have spent much of their lives sitting by the time they reach adulthood, making the issues that sitting causes even more difficult to overcome.

4 Effects of Prolonged Sitting Chiropractic Care can Address:

Slower Metabolism:

The decreased muscle contractions that occur with prolonged sitting slows the clearance of fat from the bloodstream and decreases the effect of insulin

Sitting for long periods can also cause problems with your back, especially if you consistently sit with poor posture or don’t use an ergonomically designed chair or workstation. Poor posture may also cause poor spine health such as compression in the discs in your spine, leading to premature degeneration

Headaches:

Sitting for prolonged periods of time creates tension in the back and neck, especially if you exhibit bad posture. Because the neck muscles directly connect to the head, any tension in the neck can cause pressure to build up in the head, causing headaches. Not only could this lead to tension headaches, but this type of discomfort and stress could also trigger a migraine, which can be debilitating and could drastically affect your child’s productivity at school.

Comprised Posture:

Sitting causes the pelvis to rotate backwards and puts pressure on the lumbar discs. This position forces the head forward and cause the shoulders to curve to compensate for the weight transfer

What Can You Do?

Since there’s not much that can be done to avoid sitting during the school day, parents and children can take proactive steps before and after school to counteract the effects of being in a chair all day.

Posture with a Purpose: Sit so your hips are higher than your knees and with your feet planted on the floor –a position that helps you maintain the proper level of curvature in your lower back, helping to reduce compression on the discs of the spine. Adding lumbar support (e.g., a small pillow behind your lower back) can also help.

Spend at least 10 minutes before school engaged in some form of physical activity. Even just walking around the neighborhood will help. After school, take homework breaks where you do squats, lunges, or just walk.

Take a walk with family before or after dinner.

If your child’s lifestyle involves sitting a lot, you may need a chiropractor more than you know. A detailed evaluation of your child’s spine will determine the root cause of any spinal complaints with a drug-free and early solution to their pain and spinal development.

But remember: No matter how comfortable you get, your back still won’t like a long sitting session!

The human body was designed to move, not sit. A detailed evaluation of your child’s spine will determine the root cause of any spinal complaints with a drug-free and early solution to their pain and spinal development. At Empower Family Chiropractic, we are here to help!

Article by Dr. Jeannique Norbert

Dr. Norbert is a chiropractor and owner of Empower Family Chiropractic in Lakeway, TX. As a Family Wellness Chiropractor she incorporates suggestions to increase family's health through wellness,

512.956.6370 | info@empowerfamilychiro.com www.empowerfamilychiro.com