Is Your Job Killing Your Back? Shallotte Chiropractor Explains
Stand Up to Back Pain!
Stand Up to Back Pain!
How your job may be killing your back
Brian S. Lank, D.C., C.S.C.S
If you take a step back and think about your day, how much time do you spend sitting down? If you're like most Americans, your day isn't spent standing or moving about but rather fixed in a seated position. Whether you're tethered to a chair in front of your computer, traveling long distances on business or simply letting the hours pass in front of the television, we as Americans spend an inordinate amount of time on our butts!
The problem with this however, is that the seated position is one of the WORST postures our backs can be subjected to. Not only are the tissues in the lumbar spine (lower back) under a tremendous amount of stress while seated but our muscles begin to adapt to this posture, rendering us with chronic muscle imbalances. These imbalances determine the way our bodies move and have a strong correlation with joint health and subsequent pain.
A physical therapist from the Czech Republic by the name of Vladamir Janda, was the first person to document these types of muscle imbalances. Janda noticed that many people developed a distinct pattern of muscle imbalances due to prolonged static postures, such as sitting at a desk all day. He noted that when a muscle is subjected to a short or contracted state for an extended period of time it causes a reflex inhibition or weakening of the muscles on the opposite side of the body, called reciprocal inhibition. For example, if you sit in a chair for eight hours a day, with time your hip flexors will become shortened or tight. Therefore, your brain will automatically start to shut down or inhibit your glute muscles (butt) which are on the opposite side. Now that your glute muscles are not functioning properly, your body will recruit synergistic muscles (muscles with a similar function) like your hamstrings and lower back to assist the glutes in performing hip extension (leg going backward). In other words, you start to recruit muscles that were not intended to be extensively used for specific actions such as walking or going from seated to standing position.
The most common pattern of imbalance that Janda observed he coined as "Lower Crossed Syndrome." It is basically the combination of tight hip flexors and tight lower back, paired with weak abdominals and weak glutes. This combination leads to an excessive arching in your lower back, a flaccid or protruding abdomen and a flat butt due to the weakness of the glutes. This muscle imbalance imposes excessive stresses on the lower back with or without heavy lifting, bending, twisting or turning.
So what do you do if you work a 9-5 desk job? Let's first start with how to properly sit! The ideal sitting posture is one that is constantly changing! Research has shown this helps to reduce the stresses being placed on the same tissues for a prolonged period of time, thus reducing injury/pain. So don't worry about sitting up straight all day or crossing your legs while leaning back in your chair, just limit those positions to a short period of time. Do your best to get up and stretch or walk around the office every 15-20 minutes. Dr. Stuart McGill, a spinal biomechanics expert recommends the following protocol which should last about 30 seconds in its entirety:
1.) Stand up out of the chair
2.) Reach for the ceiling
3.) Then push for the ceiling with the hands
4.) Then fully and deeply inhale
The next step would be to start correcting the muscle imbalances! The great news about Lower Crossed Syndrome is that it is easily corrected. All you need to do is perform stretches to lengthen your hip flexors and lower back muscles, and perform exercises that help develop strength in your abdominals and glute muscles. Once these imbalances are corrected a core strengthening program should be pursued to help develop proper stabilization in the lumbar spine and pelvic regions.
So if this article sounds awfully familiar contact your healthcare provider and get on a specific rehabilitation program to help put an end to lower back pain!
About the Author:
Dr. Brian S. Lank is a chiropractic physician practicing in Shallotte, NC. He holds the certified strength and conditioning specialist credentials as well as medical golf fitness instructor certification through the Titleist Performance Institute. His clinic, Coastal Carolina Chiropractic offers an integrative approach toward patient healthcare. The practice offers chiropractic medicine, physical therapy, massage therapy, nutritional programs and Titleist player development programs. In January of 2011 the clinic will be expanding and offering a full rehabilitation center with multiple physical therapists to meet the demands of Brunswick County. Dr. Lank also serves on the Board of Directors for the Brunswick County Chamber of Commerce. He chairs the community relations committee which serves as a liaison between small business and government officials. He resides in Sunset Beach with his wife Cristina, son Kaden and they are expecting their second child in December of this year.
Is Your Job Killing Your Back? Shallotte Chiropractor Explains
By: Brian S. Lank
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