April 18, 2022
Why Sitting in Front of a Desk All Day Long Is Bad for You and Some Easy Physiotherapy Fixes
Many people have office jobs that require that they work in front of a computer for hours on end and most of this time is spent sitting. Sedentary behaviour has become a major focus of research regarding how it relates to longevity and health. A number of different studies have linked too much sitting to cardiovascular disease, depression, some cancers and diabetes, to name a few. Sitting for extended periods of time has been shown to build up tension within the body and this can lead to structural and functional changes over time that can be helped with physiotherapy.
When you trace back to your ancestors, they were constantly in motion. Man was not made to be in a static position for hours on end and our bodies will react to it.
Individuals will need to receive personalized treatment plans that address the root causes and the entire body instead of just the symptoms of the patient. Compression and trauma are some of the main causes of physiological changes to the body that we commonly see in our practice. Physiotherapy can remove the compressions and the trauma from the body in order to restore normal functioning of the bodily systems, the tissues and the organs.
Compression from Sitting Too Long
In most cases the way a person sits in a chair locks up the primary parts of the hips, which often leads to stagnation within the area and will affect the tissues and organs in the pelvis. It’s also common for a person to slouch when they are sitting, which directly affects the diaphragm in the abdomen. Proper breathing requires the pelvic and the abdominal diaphragm to be working in sync but when sitting, gravity stops this from occurring. In fact, sitting for too long means that the pelvic diaphragm often isn’t engaged properly when breathing. If you’ve ever noticed that you have become short of breath after sitting for too long, this is likely the reason why. Physiotherapy can address this problem and a physiotherapist can show you how slouching personally affects your own body.
When slouching, the weight of the rib cage is brought up onto the belly, which locks up the abdominal diaphragm. You’ll notice that your breathing is more shallow, which is
known as thoracic breathing. When your body gets used to breathing this way, it may start adapting this breathing method all the time so that you find that you are short of breath when even taking a slow, steady walk. Physiotherapy professionals can show you exercises that can help you train your body to breathe properly once again.
Breathing gives your organs, tissues and all aspects of your body the oxygen it needs to run properly. Not only that, breathing also provides a massage to the pelvic organs in the abdomen to help remove toxins. When you sit too long and don’t breathe properly you’re preventing blood that has been oxygenated to get to the cells and also preventing proper lymphatic drainage from occurring. This can lead to a buildup of toxins and sickness.
Sitting at a computer for hours on end also leads to a forward head posture that puts a lot of pressure on the spine. The head should be sitting straight on the cervical spine and this can lead to neck spasms and eventually a visual bump can be seen at the bottom of the neck. In turn, this can cause a decrease in the production of endorphins, which lowers the pain threshold.
Oakville Physiotherapy Fixes for Shoulder and Neck Pain
If you have started to notice that your shoulders and neck are feeling pain from sitting too long it may be caused by a forward head posture. Your computer monitor may be sitting too low so that you have to bend your neck forward in order to see it properly. Your monitor or keyboard may also be positioned at a distance that is too far away from you on your desk. Try readjusting the placement of these items to see if it provides you with any relief.
Make sure that you take many breaks from sitting and every once in a while do a chin tuck exercise. This can be done when sitting or standing and you simply push your head out into a forward position keeping your back straight and jutt out your chin as much as you can. Then you reverse this movement and pull your head back like you are recoiling from something. Keep your head level and enjoy the stretch that you’ll feel at the base of the neck. You should also schedule an appointment as soon as possible at an Oakville physiotherapy clinic to get a personalized set of exercises that are designed for you to follow.
Physiotherapy Oakville Fixes for Tension and Compression from Sitting
One of the first things you should do if you are feeling the compression and tension in your body is to make sure that you are sitting on an ergonomic chair. You can also invest in a standup desk so that you spend less time sitting during the day.
Make sure that you take plenty of time out from sitting to do some simple stretches. Stand up and reach for the sky and then reach for the ground. Feel your body stretch out and allow the tension to drain away. Also be sure to pull back your shoulder blades a few times while you are standing up straight to release some of the tension and compression in the upper back. Talk to a physiotherapy Oakville specialist to get further recommendations that will help you gain more control over your body.
Sitting for long periods of time can wreak havoc upon the body and it’s important to address your concerns as soon as possible at a physiotherapy clinic near you. Find out what can be done now before a small discomfort becomes a major health problem. Learn what we can do for you on our website now at kefiwellnesscentre.com.
