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If you sit less every day, then you can prevent your back pain from worsening even if you do not exercise enough, says a latest study.
Most earlier studies have only looked at the health of individuals who sit a great deal but a new study by the Turku PET centre and UKK Institute in Finland is among the first ones to investigate if modifying daily sitting over six months has a causal effect on health. “The result strengthens the current understanding of the link between activity and back pain as well as the mechanism related to back pain,” said Jooa Norha, doctoral researcher, Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Finland and lead author of the study.
“Our participants were quite normal middle-aged adults, who sat a great deal, exercised little and had gained some extra weight. These factors not only increase the risk for cardiovascular disease but also for back pain,” Norha added. The participants were able to ease their pain over six months of the trial period as they reduced their sitting by 40 minutes a day on average.
Reducing sedentary time, taking short intermittent walking breaks (during periods of prolonged sitting), maintaining optimum body weight and engaging in back muscle-strengthening exercises can reduce back pain and disability related to it, according to Dr Sudhir Kumar, senior neurologist, Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad.
In fact, the researchers suggested that any physical activity, be it walking or more brisk exercise, is better than simply standing up. They also noted that switching between postures is more important than only looking for the perfect posture.
The researchers examined potential mechanisms behind the prevention of back pain and found that most patients had excessive fat deposits within the back muscles and impaired glucose metabolism, or insulin sensitivity. Nevertheless, back pain can be prevented or relieved with mobility even if no improvements in the muscle composition or metabolism take place.
Researchers said that standing desks and active breaks should be implemented at the workplace. It is always better to choose walking or cycling over driving a car or even public transportation. Dr Kumar suggests a regime for sedentary workers. “Get up every 30-45 minutes. Move around (walk at a gentle pace) for three minutes or do 10 squats and return to the chair. Other ways of reducing sedentary time could be to have coffee breaks in a standing position, use stairs in place of elevators and walk up to colleagues’ desks for queries/doubts (instead of calling or sending messages). Strengthen back muscles with back extension exercises. This can be easily done at home and would not take more than a few minutes,” he says.
A correct posture is equally important. “So keep computer screens at your eye level. The height of the chair or the desk should be adjusted, if needed. Use a comfortable chair with back support,” Dr Kumar says.
