Chiropractic + Wellness

Changing positions and posture. Individuals who have to sit at a desk, workstation, or cubicle for most of the day increase their risk of back pain, contributing to other health issues. GetAmericaStanding.org reports the average adult sits for ten hours or more a day. Prolonged sitting at home and work without movement, physical activity, exercise can lead to issues like:

• Pain
• Irritability
• Cardiovascular problems
• Obesity
• Diabetes

Long periods of inactivity are associated with increased mortality as sedentariness causes the same damage related to smoking and obesity. It can be challenging to find ways to remain active while sitting at work; this is where changing positions and posture, also known as dynamic sitting throughout the day, can help.

Changing Positions and Posture Throughout the Day

Constantly sitting in a chair means the body remains static, causing blood and energy circulation to slow down, stressing the body's muscles. Changing the body's positions regularly along with short periods of activity like standing up, walking around while on the phone, and stretching helps to work out the muscles and keep circulation at optimal levels.

The Importance of Changing Positions and Posture

The body was meant to move and requires movement to stay healthy. Staying in one position for too long can lead to loss of core strength from the abdominal musculature becoming deconditioned. Muscle deconditioning leads to weakness and tightness. The imbalance affects the spinal support system leading to back, hip, and leg pain. Moving around and doing quick mini-workouts can help strengthen the body, increase core strength, improve posture, burn calories and prevent pain and injury.

The Basics

According to a 2018 study, researchers found improvements in cardiometabolic health among individuals that would stand up, sit less, and move more. Ways to adjust the work or home office to make changing positions and posture easier include.

• Sit-stand desks can be raised and lowered throughout the day to change position regularly.
• Treadmill desks are actual treadmills that are fitted with a desk so individuals can work and walk simultaneously.
• A smaller, less expensive option could be under-the-desk bike peddlers.
• Have resistance bands or small weights at the desk to perform exercises throughout the day.
• Ergonomic chairs
• Kneeling chairs
• Leaning stools
• Balance balls
• Wobble chairs
• Saddle chairs

Medical Consultation

These small changes and adjustments can make a big difference when experiencing body pain from too much sedentariness. However, it is crucial to know if other issues are causing the health problem/s. If back or any pain is associated with any of the following, consult a medical professional.

• Trauma from an accident or injury.
• Balance issues.
• Weakness in the legs.
• Infection.
• Fever.
• Unexplained weight loss.
• Overflow urinary incontinence is when the bladder fills up and empties without feeling the need to urinate.
• Severe constipation.

Body Composition

How to Read Blood Pressure Measurements

An individual's blood pressure includes:

Systolic Blood Pressure

• This is the first or top number listed on a blood pressure reading and is the measurement of the pressure that the blood exerts against the walls of the arteries.
• A normal systolic reading should be less than 120 mm Hg.

Diastolic Blood Pressure

• This is the second number that measures the force of the blood against the artery walls when the heart is resting between beats.
• A normal diastolic reading is less than 80 mm Hg.

Pulse

• The pulse is the number of beats per minute the heart is beating.
• A normal adult pulse is between 60 to 100 beats per minute.

When checking blood pressure, a doctor will read out a vital sign in the normal range of 120/80 mmHg or below. Anything above that could be an indication of an underlying health condition.

General Disclaimer *

The information herein is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional, licensed physician, and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make your own health care decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified health care professional. Our information scope is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, sensitive health issues, functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from a wide array of disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and support, directly or indirectly, our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request.

We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, ATN*

email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com

Licensed in: Texas & New Mexico*

References

"Ergonomics for Prolonged Sitting." The University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA. https://www.uclahealth.org/spinecenter/ergonomics-prolonged-sitting

"Workplace sitting is associated with self-reported general health and back/neck pain: a cross-sectional analysis in 44,978 employees." BMC Public Health, London, UK. May 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33957889/

"Active Sitting Guide: 6 Reasons To Really Consider It." The Ergonomics Health Association. (n.d.) https://ergonomicshealth.com/active-sitting-guide/

"Cardiometabolic Impact of Changing Sitting, Standing, and Stepping in the Workplace." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, Indianapolis, IN. March 2018. https://oce.ovid.com/article/00005768-201803000-00015/HTML

"Reducing occupational sitting time and improving worker health: the Take-a-Stand Project, 2011." Preventing Chronic Disease, Atlanta, GA. 2012.

"Office exercise: Add more activity to your day." The Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. October 2019. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/office-exercise/art-20047394

"The Tools: Put an End to Your Sedentary Lifestyle." Ergotron, St. Paul, MN. (n.d.). https://www.juststand.org/the-tools/

Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Alexander Jimenez shares some insights about a pain free workday.

#1. Use Healthy Posture & Movement Patterns

Considering all the emphasis on how little or much we should sit or stand at work, there is almost no discussion of technique in standing and sitting. Inferior technique slumpsitting, archsitting, parking weight is used by many people so on, and poorly on joints.

As long as this is actually true, any place is going to stack up badly in the research—we are starting to see it for standing and ’ve seen this for sitting. Sitting has been much maligned as “the new smoking”; and now standing as a replacement is being demonstrated to cause increased hospitalization due to varicose veins, atherosclerosis that is increased, etc. A good starting point is stretchsitting, to start the journey back to a pain free workday. Stretchsitting is simple, safe, comfy, and therapeutic.

Work with flannel, a towel, or a Stretchsit pillow so it contacts you at mid-back, below the shoulder blades.

• Scoot your bottom all the way back in the seat.
• Lean forwards from the hips, like a mini crunch is being done by you, and tip your ribcage forward.
• Push downwards on the armrests/side bars/seat pan of your chair to get a soft stretch in your lower back.
• Keeping the stretch, lean back out of your hips and adhere your mid back on to the Stretchsit pillow/towel.
• Relax completely, letting the Stretchsit pillow and come from the mini crunch /towel keep you in traction that is light.
• Roll each shoulder back and rest your hands close into your own body.
• Angle your chin down slightly, letting the back of your neck be long.

#2. Vary Your Baseline Posture

No matter how good your bearing, your body still needs a variety of places. Sitting and standing are the most practical positions for most occupations (example computer occupations)—I recommend switching between them every 20- 30 minutes. If other positions and motions are practical for doing your job (eg, walking when speaking on the phone), that’s an excellent bonus—the more baseline stances and movements, the better. (one sitting against backrest, one stack sitting, standing in a desk, and walking with telephone)

#3. Supplement With Rest, Exercise, Movement During & Outside The Workday

Use your breaks in the workday along with your time away from work to supplement your special service line spots. Do you need rest? Exertion? Stretching? Strengthening your abdominal muscles?… There are countless tissues and muscles within your body that have needs just like you are served by a diet that is diverse well, a movement regimen that is varied will also.

#4. Use Well – Designed Tools & Furniture

Experiment and learn with what constitutes furniture that is healthy this is an investment in the way you’ll be spending about half your waking life.

Around 70% of America's workforce sits in an office chair for most of the day. Then we spend extended time sitting down eating, studying, watching T.V., and driving. All of this time spent sitting is taking its toll on our bodies.

Effects of When We Sit Too Long

Sitting places added stress and pressure on the back because it transfers the body's full weight onto the buttocks and thighs. Sitting for long periods can cause pressure to increase on the discs, which can lead to severe/chronic back pain. Sitting also takes a toll on the lower extremities. As the blood stays in the legs and feet this creates a sluggish return of blood to the heart.

In addition to sitting proper body mechanics are not implemented. Most of us sit with an improper posture, which can not only cause physical discomfort but also contributes to other health problems, which include:

• Abdominal pain
• Back pain
• Eyestrain
• Leg pain
• Neck pain
• Repetitive movement/motion injuries

Using a well-made ergonomic chair can help reduce fatigue, discomfort, increase blood flow, reduce injury, and increase job productivity.

An Ergonomic Chair

If it is to be used at a computer station or on a factory machine, it needs to be able to handle the tasks and fit the worker's size. Here are some recommendations to help you pick a quality chair that will increase comfort and reduce injury.

Casters

Use a chair with casters either in the form of a pivoting roller/with wheels and a 5-point base to make movement easier. There are different types of casters, some for carpet use, and soft wheel casters for hard surfaces like tile and linoleum. Rubber locking casters can help prevent tipping. Also, choose a chair that swivels easily.

Seat Pan

The seat pan supports the majority of your weight. A chair with the cushion made from a dense, foam padding or spring coils is better than a basic cushion that loses its shape and compresses which causes discomfort, imbalance, and hip/back fatigue. The pan should be at least one inch wider than the hips and thighs on each side. The front part of the seat should slope down a little and allow a fist-sized space between the back of your knees and the front edge of the seat pan to reduce pressure on the back of the thighs.

Also, a chair with tilting adjustments allows the individual the ability to a forward working posture or a properly reclined posture. Some seat pans also have a sliding mechanism that can be beneficial. This means small and tall users are able to adjust the distance of the seat pan from the backrest.

The Backrest

Adequate back support is the most essential element of a backrest. Inadequate back support places added pressure on the spine. The backrest should be small enough to fit the small of the back, the pelvis, and back of the rib cage or be curved. Both provide adequate support. A lot of the chairs come with a built-in adjustment, that can be adjusted by turning a knob on one side or under the chair. Chairs with back supports that are large enough to provide mid-back and upper back support are an added bonus.

Armrests

Chairs with adjustable height and width are necessary with a chair with armrests. The armrest should be made of soft comfortable material and be 2 inches wide for adequate surface area.

Seat Height

Pretty much all chairs come with a seat height adjustment. A properly adjusted seat means that your feet can rest properly on the floor while the upper body is aligned with the computer, display, and keyboard. Hydraulic adjustments are standard on most chairs, but there are pneumatic adjustments that allow you to adjust the seat height while sitting on the chair. Keep in mind the mechanism to adjust the seat should be easy to reach.

Chair Reclining and Tilt Adjustment

The chair recline/tilt adjustment changes the angle of the entire seat. Like with the backrest angle adjustability, a reclined chair transfers upper body weight to the backrest of the chair. However, locking the backrest in one position is not recommended or beneficial for the back.

Considerations

Footrests

For most a footrest is not necessary. But if additional foot support is necessary, a floor-mounted rest will allow you to rest your feet in a comfortable position.

Fabric Types

Keep in mind the cleaning and maintenance that goes into the chair when choosing which. Upholstery is the most common covering but is not the easiest to keep clean. Vinyl and leather covers are easy to clean but don't breathe well and can generate heat in the legs.

Safe Sitting

Other than using an ergonomic chair, here are some precautions to minimize discomfort and injury while sitting:

• Do not stay in one position for a long time.
• Change postures often.
• Shift between sitting and standing, 20 minutes of standing then 20 of sitting.
• Try to keep your feet flat on the floor.
• Sit with proper posture upright with your back and shoulders against the backrest.
• Do not use the armrests to slouch.
• Elbows and arms should rest lightly to promote circulation.
• Make sure the shoulders are relaxed and slightly dropped when on the keyboard.

 Stay In a Neutral Posture

• With the back supported and straight
• The hips slightly higher than the knees
• Keep between 2-4 inches of the chair edge and behind the knees
• Maintain an equal balance of weight on the seat

Most Important

• Take frequent breaks
• Stand up and move around
• Stretch
• Be aware of your posture while your sitting
• Correct yourself if you are slouching or moving out of the proper posture
• Take deep breaths

This will increase blood flow and reduce fatigue. Small changes will go a long way and keep you comfortable and healthy.

Work smarter not harder

Because we spend so much time in a chair we need to have the right one that will protect our spines. Think of the chair as a piece of work equipment to optimize productivity. Ergonomics utilized to the fullest means less back pain and better focus.

When your body is truly healthy, you will arrive at your optimal health and proper physiological state.  We want to help you live a new and improved lifestyle. Over the last two decades, while researching and testing we have learned what works effectively at decreasing pain while increasing human vitality.

Reduce Back Pain With Custom Foot Orthotics El Paso, TX.

NCBI Resources

Ergonomic chairs have come a long way, and they do help reduce spine problems, pain, and improve movement. Improving spinal health and hygiene at work is as simple as taking breaks for light stretching, walking around, and utilizing ergonomic office products to stay fit and injury-free. Whatever you choose, understand how your back and neck are moving/functioning during the workday/night by using ergonomic fundamentals that will keep your body/mind healthy and prevent office injuries.