Seattle Chiropractor Shares How Sitting is “The New Smoking”

Hey, it’s Dr. Zapata here once again and your chiropractic team in Seattle WA. You may have heard the phrase that “sitting is the new smoking”. Now, while that may be a little bit extreme, there is no denying that sitting too much is a challenge that millions of people face each and every day. As a chiropractor in Seattle, I see patients every day who complain of pain that stems from them sitting all day long. This is especially prevalent here where tech jobs often require employees to sit for long periods of time. There can be some serious long-term health consequences associated with sitting too much.

As modern technology continues to evolve, it seems that people are spending more and more of their day sitting. With smart phones and tablets becoming such a major part of everyday life, many of the activities that used to be physical are now played out without having to move much at all!

Let’s use an example that you may be able to relate to. It is not uncommon these days for someone to get up out of bed, hop in the car and sit during their commute to work, followed by sitting virtually all day at their job, then get back in the car and sit on their commute home….and finally, after a long day of sitting, get home and take a seat on the couch to sit and watch television, play on the computer or kill time on their smart phone!

Now, the trouble with all this is that sitting too much or for too long can be bad for your back as well as having the potential to cause additional problems with your overall health over time.

Even if your chair feels comfortable or has been labeled as “ergonomically sound”, it is still a bad idea to sit for too long. No matter how comfortable the chair feels and even if you have the most advanced office chair in the world, it still will not be able to reverse the effects of gravity. Now, not only will your back be affected, but sitting for too long can also tighten up your hips and hamstrings, leaving you more vulnerable and susceptible to injury when you do finally get up to exercise.

If you are one of the millions of people out there with a sedentary job, the great news is that you can make a few tweaks to your routine that can help protect your back and body. A few quick general quick tips would be:

1. Try your best not to slouch
2. Make yourself get up and out of your chair at least once every 30 minutes. Take a walk around the office, do some light stretches or just stand, but make sure you get up!
3. If you have access to a standing desk, use it for a portion of each day.
4. The key is to take short movement breaks every day to help you keep loose and stay flexible!

We have already covered many of these tips in another video discussing proper seating posture which you can find here: www.emeraldcityspinal.com/proper-seating-posture. Be sure to check out that video as well, and if you have any questions or find that there is something we did not address in that video, don’t hesitate to drop us a line!

For all of us at Emerald City Spinal Care, thanks and have a great week!

- Dr. Zapata and the Emerald City Spinal Care Team in Seattle WA