Spine and Health

Category: Posture Issues

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Active and Yet Sedentary?

 Is your chair killing you?

Did you know that even if you do the recommended 30-60 minutes of exercise per day that you could still be classified as sedentary? And that it could be affecting your health? In the 1950s studies discovered that workers who had active jobs were healthier than those who were primarily behind a desk, and thus the recommendations from health professionals was to build exercise in to our everyday lives.

The fact of the matter is that our bodies are designed to be active all the time.

We are not saying that you should stop doing your 30-60minute intensive exercise programs but what we are saying is that it is not enough. Current society aims at making everyday tasks easier and that eventually takes out our need to be active. We drive to work, sit on the train, order food to be delivered to our door, sit at work behind our computer and then to top it off to relax we lie on the couch and watch TV/read/play video games. All in all the average office worker spends only 73 minutes of their entire day standing (1).

Studies done all over the world, including by the Chiropractic Association of Australia have all come to a similar conclusion, and that is that we spend too much of our time sitting, which leads to poor posture, issues with balance and coordination, pain and even shortening our life expectancy (2, 3).

A current study based on Brisbane office workers is examining just how detrimental sitting for prolonged periods of time is to our health and is expected to follow global research that claims it leads to premature death(4). Prolonged sitting alters the shape and function of your body: slowing down the processing of fats, deteriorating the S curve and weakening your leg and back muscles (5). Furthermore it is being proven that the relationship between physical activity and contemporary chronic conditions is strong for things such as cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, colon cancer, obesity, and mental function (6). No matter your body weight or how much you exercise, if you sit too much you will still have an increased health risk (7) and an Australian study goes on to state that “each hour of daily television viewing is associated with an 11% increase in the risk of all-cause mortality regardless of age, sex, waist circumference, and physical activity” (8).

So what are current recommendations?
• Instead of trying to find the closest parking spot, park away from your venue and walk.
• Scandalous as they are, we do now have a lot of cycle paths in Sydney – use them!
• We need to strip back the technology that enables us to be lazy and learn to take the stairs instead of the escalators; walk to the station instead of getting a lift; go for a walk to wind down at night instead of being a couch potato.
• When you have coffee with a friend, make it to go and walk and talk instead of sitting
• You can do the same for lunch, grab walking friendly food like a chicken wrap and then walk, talk and munch!

This requires a shift in our way of thinking and by organizing your day in advance it is not only achievable but will make you healthier and happier.

In the interim, if you are truly attached to your chair at work, then the CAA offers a program to help you remember to stand – a widget. It offers exercises that you can do in the pop-ups that appear on your computer screen throughout the day. Click here for more information.


Alternatively a standing workstation is becoming more and more popular. We are designed to stand and now designers have created the Standing Work Station.

Located 10 metres from our Crows Nest practice is our favourite store, Bad Backs. This awesome company has everything anyone with a bad back could need and they sell upright workstations! Implement the standing work station and know that you are sitting less – remember it’s important to stand properly with good posture.

 

In order to maintain the natural position of muscles, ligaments, bones and internal organs, one must have proper posture. The repetitive position we place our bodies in by sitting all day puts a huge amount of load and stress on our bodies and is the main reason that we as a society have increasingly poor posture. The body has the capability to repair itself so long as there is nothing blocking the pathway, which is exactly what poor posture does. By maintaining good posture with the aid of chiropractic care, and living the newly defined active lifestyle, you will enable your body to perform at it’s best by reducing wear and tear of joints, relieving stress, improving overall health and enhancing your appearance.

Come and visit our chiropractors in one of our 4 locations: Crows Nest, Gladesville, Mosman or North Sydney. We are psoture chiropractors trained to relieve pain and improve posture  through x-rays and posture scans. To start correcting your posture today please contact us at:

Crows Nest:  Ph 02 9460 8459
Gladesville:  Ph 9817 6611
Mosman:  Ph 02 9968 3577
North Sydney:  Ph 02 9955 8055

Don’t forget, an active spine is a healthy spine.

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Posture Correction at Spine and Health

The chiropractors at the Spine and Health centres recognise that poor posture can contribute to spinal pain. Very often poor posture is a result of an existing muscle imbalance, pain or bad habits and conversely, having poor posture can also contribute to you developing pain and a muscle imbalance.

Many people have office jobs which entail many hours of sitting on an office chair. The Chiropractors of Spine and Health are trained in this area of treatment at the North Sydney, Crows Nest, Mosman and Gladesville Spine and Health centres

Sitting on an office chair for long periods can contribute to spinal problems. Sitting doubles the pressure on the discs in your low back. The static or fixed posture will also affect the muscles in the lower back, neck, arms and legs. The muscles prefer to be used in dynamic rather than static activities. The reason for this being that muscles depend on movement to help the blood flow in the musculature. This is important, as it helps to flush away build-up of lactic acid and other by-products in the muscles. The postural muscles are the ones that are most likely to suffer.

Our Chiropractors offer Posture Treatment in North Sydney, Crows Nest, Mosman and Gladesville  and are happy to visit local work places to analyse issues and provide recommendations, treatment and support.

Prolonged sitting can cause muscles that support the spine to weaken and over time this weakness becomes significant. As our muscles fatigue it often results in the upper back being more slumped. A slumped posture causes increased musculo-skeletal stress, which in turn may lead to conditions such as; headaches, neck pain, jaw pain, shoulder pain, numbness or tingling in the arms or hands and pain in the shoulder blades.

Over time a poor sitting posture and incorrect work ergonomics can damage spinal structures and become the cause of recurrent episodes of pain. Spine and Health place great emphasis on giving both postural and ergonomic advice as part of the chiropractic treatment.

Our chiropractors have seen so many cases when a client is treated for their pain but the underlying problem (the poor posture) is not fixed the client will invariably have the same symptoms return time and time again.

Once symptoms have arisen, the problem is usually fully established and a chiropractic treatment program including postural advice, manual treatment and rehabilitation exercises help to re-establish a flexible, strong and pain-free posture.

Poor Posture Treatment North Sydney / Poor Posture Treatment Crows Nest / Poor Posture Treatment Mosman / Poor Posture Treatment Gladesville

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Poor Posture Treatment for Children

If you want an example of good posture, just look at a young child – their back shows a graceful ‘S’ curve and their movements are easy and effortless. Unfortunately, as we get older, bad habits such as slouching and inactivity cause muscle fatigue and tension that ultimately lead to poor posture. Dr Adam Meredith from North Sydney Spine and Health says that the complications of poor posture include back pain, spinal dysfunction, joint degeneration, rounded shoulders and a potbelly.

 

Adam says you can improve your posture and spinal health by making a few lifestyle adjustments. He added that he has many years of successful experience in poor posture treatment for children in North Sydney.

Poor posture symptoms can include:

Potbelly
Bent knees when standing or walking
Head that either leans forward or backward
Back pain
Body aches and pains
Muscle fatigue
Headache.
Rounded shoulders

Unfortunately Adam has seen a change over the years in how early young children develop poor posture. It is now not uncommon to see poor posture as early as 6 or 7 years old. Children are not physically moving as much as they used to, with out door activities being replaced with indoor activities such as computer games and watching DVD’s.

Adam treats children with poor posture through gently stretches, gentle manipulations, reflex points and advice.

Adam loves treating children, as they respond quickly to therapy, with their postures returning back to their natural healthy states.

At North Sydney Spine and Health Adam believes that educating children to listen to their body is a positive step forward to prevent future pain and problems. He tells youngsters that good posture feels effortless, which is why traditional ‘good posture’ suggestions like throwing your shoulders back and sticking out your chest may feel uncomfortable too. Instead, listen to your body. Make minor adjustments while standing and sitting. Which position feels the easiest and most comfortable?

By educating children that concentrating on other activities (such as work, tv, video games) can direct attention away from any feelings of physical discomfort. Get into the habit of regularly tuning in to your body. If you feel muscle tension or fatigue, move into another position.

As part of his poor posture treatment  in North Sydney, Adam makes the following suggestions as great guidelines  to follow

Avoid sitting in soft, squashy chairs.
Use lumbar rolls to support your lower back when sitting in regular chairs or driving the car.
Switch to ergonomic chairs in the office or for any activity that requires you to sit for long periods of time.
Make sure your mattress is supportive enough to keep your spine straight when lying on your side.
Use a pillow that supports your neck.

Keep your back straight and use your thigh muscles when lifting heavy weights

Call Adam today at his clinic so you can get instant immediate attention.