Over the last couple of years, the health and fitness communities have
been investing time, money, and research in determining how prolonged periods
of time spent sitting may be having adverse effects on both life expectancy and
health. Depending upon which study you
read there seems to be a window of three to six hours per day that is safe to
be spent sitting. Extend this period of
time beyond that time period and strong correlations can be found between
sitting and an increased risk of injury, chronic pain, and even shortened life
expectancy. Some studies indicated that
sitting more than six hours per day may shorten life expectancy by as much as
five years. This does not bode well for
a society that spends most of its waking hours plopped down behind a desk at a
computer or in front of a TV screen.
As far as death prevention and increased life expectancy are concerned
the solution is simple: move more. If
work circumstances prevent an increase in movement then stand. Stand as often as possible, while on the
phone, reading, talking with someone in the office; stand instead of sit. The simple act of standing can offset the
amount of time spent sitting. As a
bonus, standing keeps the brain more alert than sitting, by standing frequently
you will feel like you have more energy.
On the days that work keeps me behind a desk for several hours on end, I
still make a point of getting up at least once an hour for a minimum of five
minutes. During this time I will find an
excuse to walk around, or at the very least, stand behind my desk while I work.
Perhaps one of the most common problems associated with sitting for
prolonged periods of time is neck pain.
This often results from poor posture while sitting; this in turn causes
stiffness, which if not addressed, may quickly become more serious issues such
as shoulder tendinitis or impingement, tennis elbow, neck compression issues
resulting in nerve pain, or simple muscle tightness and loss of mobility
throughout the neck, upper back, and shoulders.
Keep in mind, that for this discussion, it is assumed that all of the
vertebrae are in proper alignment, no issues such as bulging disks, or pinched
nerves exist. Also, we are not
considering spinal alignment issues such as scoliosis, kyphosis, or lordosis.
Neck and Upper Back pain due to prolonged sitting usually result from one
of, or a varying combination of three things: Overreaching, Use of
Incorrect Heights, and Unbalanced Work Stations. Overreaching refers, not to reaching to far,
but to too many things and all on the same height level. As a result, the arms stay in an extended
position, pulling the shoulders out of their natural position and straining the
neck. The use of incorrect heights
refers to constantly viewing things that are not placed at eye level, such as a
computer monitor. By constantly looking
too low to read or watch something, the head is pulled down. Hours spent in this head extended down and
forward position may, over time, pull the neck vertebrae out of alignment or
weaken the muscles in the back of the neck. An unbalanced work station refers to having to
stay in a partially rotated position with either the neck, or entire spine, to
perform work. So without even
considering exercise, here are some simple ways to reorganize your work space
to bring some relief.
Overreaching
·
Adjust the position of the mouse and keyboard so
that they are not on the same surface or at the same level. The height disparity will keep the muscles of
the neck, shoulders, and upper back from tightening up in one position
·
Make sure that items that are frequently used,
like a keyboard, mouse, or phone are at varying distances from your body,
forcing you to shift positions to reach them
·
Make sure the chair supports healthy posture and
is adjusted for your height and body size
Use
of Incorrect Heights
·
Adjust the seat height to support proper posture
through the back, hips, knees, and ankles.
The hips, knees, and ankles should all be at a 90 degree angle.
·
Adjust the computer monitor height so that the
top of screen is at eye level; not too high or too low.
·
Set up the work station so that different
activities are at different height levels (computer, writing, reading)
Unbalanced
Work Area
·
Keep items that you must reach for, to the left
or to the right, balanced so that you are not reaching to one side more often
than the other
During prolonged periods of sitting, following all of these tips will
help keep your spine in a position of proper posture, reducing the likelihood of
developing chronic upper back or neck pain.
While all of this is helpful, ultimately the best way to prevent upper
back and neck pain is to keep these muscles strong. Weak muscles are far more likely to allow the
body to move out of proper alignment while sitting. Keeping the muscles strong will help prevent
this problem. The program below is a
great starting point to help strengthen these muscles. As always, consult your personal physician to
make sure you are healthy enough to perform these exercises. The links below will take you to videos
providing demonstrations of the exercises.
|
Exercise
|
Sets
|
Repetition Range
|
|
Bridge w/ Shoulder Reach
|
12 per arm
|
|
|
Y-Raise
|
2
|
12 to 15
|
|
T-Raise
|
2
|
12 to 15
|
|
Incline Row
|
3
|
8 to 12
|
|
Standing High Band Pull
|
4
|
15 to 20
|
Myofascial Release
The final important aspect of
dealing with chronic upper back and neck pain has to do with the myofascial
tissue. Myofascia is a thin connective
tissue that covers all of the muscles of the body. There are a variety of factors that can
contribute to pain in the myofascial.
The most common symptom is the forming of “knots.” The knots are broken up, resulting in pain
relief using different tools such as a foam roller. The most commonly used tool is a foam
roller.
Upper back and neck pain associated with poor posture and prolonged sitting is not something with which you must live. So take a little time and address the heart of the problem. Do not just settle for popping pain pills to hide the underlying problem.
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