Is Sitting the New Smoking?

You are most likely sitting down reading this blog but are you aware of your posture by doing so? Are you slouching with a hunched back? Are your shoulders rounded? Is your head leaning forward? These are all questions you should be thinking of when you are sitting down either at work, school or at home.

Research has shown today that poor posture can have a dramatic effect on your health and body.

When you repeat poor posture unintentionally or intentionally, your body slowly adapts to it and this eventually has an effect on the biomechanics of the spine, resulting in misalignment and pain. Did you know that when we are sitting down we are putting double the amount of body weight on our lower back compared to standing up? In the long term poor posture is likely to have an effect on the different body systems (cardiovascular, respiratory and digestive system). Some experts have gone as far as saying “sitting is the new smoking”. In today’s society as we are becoming more sedentary and electronically based, more and more people are watching television, sitting at a desk in work as well as constantly looking down on their phone, it is so important to practise good posture in every aspect of your daily life, from when you sit at a desk in work or school to sitting at home watching television.

Research from The Public Health England has given recommendations for employers who work in an office or those who sustain a sedentary work place. These included getting at least two hours of standing and light walking during working hours, seated work should be regularly broken up with standing work, avoid remaining in a static seated position for a long time and movement does need to be checked and corrected on a regular basis, especially if a person experiences musculoskeletal sensations.

While we all tend to slouch to make it more comfortable here a few postural tips that may help you when sitting either at work, school or home.

1. Use a firm chair with good back support that can support your spinal curvatures
2. Adjust your chair height so that your hips are level, or slightly higher than your knees
3. Make sure desk is elbow height, with your elbows at approximately 90 degrees, your wrists should be nice and straight while your shoulder should be relaxed and down from the ears
4. Finally, every 45 minutes get up and stretch frequently, especially if you spend most of your day sitting down

While we all tend to make these simple postural mistakes without realising it we must practice good posture. With our society becoming more health conscious, good posture allows our bones to be properly aligned which means our muscles and ligament can work properly. Good posture also helps your vital organs to work and function in the right way and finally good posture can help the nervous system to function properly which is the master system of the body as this controls everything we do!

At Clifton Chiropractic Clinic we make a thorough assessment of your posture and the effects that it is having on your nervous system. We can also determine whether your foot posture is affecting the rest of your posture using the latest laser technology.