Latest / Staying Aligned with Dr. Kevin Hartung / Why Sitting Too Much Is Hard on the Body

Transcript

Why Sitting Too Much Is Hard on the Body · Staying Aligned with Dr. Kevin Hartung

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  Hey there and welcome back. I'm Dr. Hard Tongue
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  and you're listening to the Family Chiropractic
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  Center podcast coming to you from right here
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  in Robinson Township. Today, I want to talk about
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  something that affects just about every single
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  one of us. And honestly, it's something most
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  people don't think twice about until the pain
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  starts. We're talking about sitting. Specifically,
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  why sitting too much is really hard on your body
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  and what you can do about it. Now, here's the
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  thing. We live in a world that's designed for
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  sitting. We sit in the car on the way to work.
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  We sit at a desk for eight hours. We come home
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  and sit on the couch. And then, we do it all
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  again the next day. It doesn't feel dangerous.
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  It feels normal. But over time, all that sitting
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  adds up, and your body starts to feel it. Let
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  me break this down for you. When you sit for
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  long periods of time, your hip flexors, those
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  muscles at the front of your hips, they get tight.
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  They shorten up. And when those muscles are tight,
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  they pull on your lower back. That pulling creates
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  stress on the joints in your lumbar spine. So
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  that aching low back pain you feel at the end
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  of the day? A lot of the time, it starts right
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  there. Here's what's interesting. Your spine
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  is designed to move. It loves movement. The discs
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  between your vertebrae actually get their nutrition
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  through movement. When you're sitting still for
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  hours, those discs aren't getting what they need.
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  Over time, that can lead to stiffness, soreness,
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  and a lot of wear and tear that just didn't have
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  to happen. And it's not just your lower back.
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  Sitting with your head forward staring at a screen
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  puts enormous strain on your neck and upper back.
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  Think about it this way. Your head weighs roughly
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  10 to 12 pounds when it's sitting directly over
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  your shoulders. But when you lean your head forward,
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  even just a few inches, the effective weight
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  your neck has to support multiplies significantly.
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  We're talking several times that amount. That's
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  a lot of stress for your neck muscles and joints
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  to handle day after day. You know what I hear
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  a lot? People say, I don't do anything strenuous.
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  I just sit at a desk all day. I don't know why
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  I'm in so much pain. And I get it. It doesn't
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  feel like sitting should hurt you. But the absence
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  of movement is its own kind of stress on the
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  body. So what can you start doing today? The
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  simplest thing is to break up your sitting. Set
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  a timer on your phone for every 30 to 45 minutes.
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  When it goes off, stand up. Walk to the kitchen.
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  Do a few shoulder rolls. Take a short walk around
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  the office. You don't need a full workout. You
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  just need to interrupt the pattern. That little
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  reset makes a real difference. Also, pay attention
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  to your posture when you are sitting. Your feet
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  should be flat on the floor, your hips and knees
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  should be at roughly a 90 degree angle, and try
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  to keep your screen at eye level so your head
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  isn't constantly dropping forward. These small
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  adjustments really do add up over time. Now,
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  if you've already got pain, stiffness, or tension
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  that's been hanging around, that's a great reason
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  to come in and get evaluated. At Family Chiropractic
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  Center, we look at how your spine is moving,
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  where the restrictions are, and what's contributing
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  to your discomfort. A lot of times, people are
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  surprised at how much better they feel after
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  just a few adjustments combined with some simple
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  movement habits. You don't have to just live
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  with the aches and pains of a desk job or a long
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  commute. There are real, practical things we
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  can do together to help your body feel better
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  and function the way it's supposed to. So thank
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  you so much for tuning in today. I hope this
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  gave you something useful to think about and
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  maybe something to act on. If you have questions
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  or you'd like to schedule an appointment, give
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  us a call or stop by. We are right here in Robinson
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  Township and we would love to help. Until next
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  time, take care of yourselves, keep moving, and
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  we'll talk soon.