The effect of a sedentary lifestyle on your spine life

While you’re working at your desk, your spine is looking for the most effective solutions to compensate for unwanted loads. What loads are we talking about? After all, office work does not require weightlifting… and what does your spine say to that?

To begin with, a few words about the spine.

The most important support in the human body. Thanks to the protective function of the spinal cord, it acts as a brain connecting post with the body.  Built from vertebrae, intervertebral discs, ligaments and physiological curvatures aimed at cushioning shocks and loads.  The construction of the spine is made of:

• 7 cervical vertebrae
• 12 thoracic vertebrae
• 5 lumbar vertebrae
• sacrum (overgrown 5 vertebrae)
• tumour bone

Each of the circles in their construction has m.in. vertebral opening where the core flows. In addition, it also has an intervertebral opening that forms the output of the nerve roots.

Between the vertebrae are intervertebral discs colloquially called discs. These are flexible structures that allow movement in the spine. In each disc there is a fibrous ring, the center of which is filled with atherosclerotic nucleus.

How does sitting position affect your spine?

When sitting, the muscles are doomed to prolonged tension. This is because during dynamic exercise the muscles may alternate between tighten and relax, which results in momentary pressure on the blood vessels and peripheral nerves, and consequently better blood supply and oxygenation of the muscles. Thus, in static effort, there is constant pressure on the blood and nerve structures, so that the desired reactions do not occur. Further effects of sedentary work are:

• load on the muscles responsible for stabilising the spine,
• load on the neck muscles due to head support (often protruding, i.e. non-physiological position),
• strain on the shoulder muscles and hands operating the keyboard.

The culmination of overload of the spine is manifested by pain in the head,
neck, shoulders, arms and pain in the lumbar spine. 
No response to you calling for help from the spine can lead to degenerative
changes, or osteoarthritis of the spine.

How to make your spine’s life more pleasant while sitting? Adapt the position to your needs. What does it mean?

1. The top edge of the monitor should be positioned at eye level at a distance of 40-75 cm. The seat should have the function of rotation, height adjustment and bulge in the lumbar segment, as well as adapted to the length of the thighs
2. The back of the chair should reach the level of the lower part of the shoulder blades.
3. Imagine that the head and shoulders are an extension of the spine, i.e. do not slouch and do not stick your head forward.
4. Place your forearms on the desk or armrest, bent at an angle of 90° while maintaining the natural, unforced position of the hands when using the computer.
5. Bend your knees to an angle of 90°.
6. Place your feet with the entire surface on the floor or footrest at the right  angle (max 15°).
7. During work, be sure to take short breaks and allocate them to perform several exercises that allow the spine to breathe and oxygenate for a while.

The spine absolutely needs our support so that it can function properly for a long time. As you can read above, it suffers during a sedentary lifestyle … Let him move a little and relax, and it will be grateful to you for life. Find a good physiotherapist whose exercises and various manual therapies will help relieve your back.