4 October 2017

The sit stand debate uncovered

Kirstin Ahmed
Back and postural care, Reviews
chair posture, office life, sitting, standing, standing desks, standing workstations
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standing desks

We know the perils of sitting all day; which culminate in bad posture, tight weak muscles, poor core strength and back pain. But did you know there are also physiological responses to being seated as a result of fat deposition and burning less calories compared to standing relating to cardiovascular and kidney disease?

The case seems strong for getting up off our butts and working at a standing desk, however it isn’t all as clear cut as that:

Firstly given the choice to work at an adjustable height workstation studies have shown that after 1 month the majority of people are sitting! Why would this be? Perhaps because fine motor skills are easier to control when sitting because being seated helps stabilise the body? Or because standing in one position without movement isn’t very comfortable?

Actually standing without movement is not what we should be aiming for, it has long been known to cause varicose veins by putting greater load on the cardiovascular system. 20% more energy is required (calories) to stand so it should be a good argument for the case but most research points to movement being necessary whilst standing. Recently treadmill and bike work desks have found favour on mobility websites and the like, however sales are low and the desks are not receiving good feedback. Tests show that computer performance decreases (ie more mistakes are made) using this type of arrangement.

So whats the answer?

Well no need to go out and buy an expensive adjustable height desk, instead keep your seated desk but make sure you get up from it and perform some movement for a couple of minutes every half hour. Oh I’ve known this for ages I hear you say! Yes but the problem is that people get so engrossed in their work it becomes impossible to pull themselves away from the desk.

Sometimes a simple linking trick works for example every phone call needs to be taken/made whilst standing. Or every time a cup of tea is finished you need to stand up to take the cup to the kitchen and wash it. And for others this just isn’t enough, I have found a great website here  that has a selection of PC, mac or phone apps to download to remind you in various ways to get up and move about a bit…

4 June 2016

A cure for a chronic sitter

Kirstin Ahmed
Back and postural care
back care, back pain, knee pillow squeezes, lower back pain, lumbar curve, office exercises, seated abductor press, sitting positions
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Brightonfit back pain exercises

We’re all guilty of ‘over sitting’ (yes, that’s a thing); we’re constantly told to be more active in order to be more healthy, and that translates into our working lives too.

This is all true of course, it’s common sense, but let’s be realistic. You’re probably sitting while reading this, I know I was while writing it.

The problem is that sitting causes many of the body’s biological system to shut down and causes muscle groups to waste away. It’s unavoidable though! We all need to sit for some of the time, some more than other perhaps but there’s only so much we can change.

So that leaves us with another option – How to sit better…

When we sit, our hips roll back into flexion, leading to a loss of natural lumbar curve (often leading to back pain). We need to restore this natural curve of the back.

Onto the ‘how’, with the following exercises you will activate key posture muscles and restore function to the; hips and spine. It’s about posture alignment to reduce the symptoms of pain at the source.

Sitting Knee Pillow Squeezes

This exercise introduces the body to the functional sitting position, versus the average slumped-forward position our bodies have become accustomed to. As the name implies, this exercise targets the adductor muscle group of the hips.

Instructions: 

  1. Sit in the middle of a chair with your feet pointed straight ahead, 4-6 inches apart.
  2. Place a block or foam roller between your knees.
  3. Roll your hips forward to place an arch in your low back. Hold this position throughout the exercise.
  4. Squeeze and release the block/foam roller with your knees.
  5. Repeat for 3 sets of 20. Be sure to keep your stomach relaxed for the duration of the exercise.

 

Sitting Abductor Presses

Just like sitting knee pillow squeezes, this exercise introduces the body to the functional sitting position. The hip abductor muscle group goes to sleep when we sit. This exercise will force them to wake up.

Instructions: 

  1. Sit in the middle of a chair with your feet pointed straight ahead, 4-6 inches apart.
  2. Place a strap around your knees.
  3. Roll your pelvis forward to place a small arch in your low back. Hold this position throughout the exercise.
  4. Press outward against the strap, then release.
  5. Repeat for 3 sets of 20. Be sure to keep your stomach relaxed for the duration of the exercise.

Using these exercises consistently will take you from being at risk of injury to a more healthy body in the long term.

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