Sitting for long periods - Back Pain and Yoga

Sitting for long periods can lead to back pain, so how can yoga help?

Even though our bodies are meant to move, we actually spend most of our time sitting (working, watching TV, reading , etc...) not forgetting the third of the day that we are asleep. All in all, that is a lot of inactivity which causes a domino effect in the lower body.

Here 's what happens when we sit for long periods:

First the hip flexors shorten - causing problems in the hip joints, glutes to weaken and begin wasting away, resulting in overworked hamstrings. So we need to keep these muscles flexible, mobile, and strong.

How do we this? By keeping active! Try some yoga poses at your desk or, better still, get up and do some. And when at home, get up often and move around.

It's not surprising that 80% of people experience back pain. Did you know that incorrect posture (sitting or standing), sleeping in the wrong position, lifting heavy things incorrectly, standing for long periods (yes, standing too!!) and even not staying hydrated are just a few of the common causes of lower back pain.

Here are some common posture issues that cause back pain problems:

1. Just looking at the computer or holding your phone tucked under your cheek puts strain on the neck, shoulders, and upper-back muscles - because your head is leaning forward.

2. Slouching or shoulders rolling forward over time can cause wear and tear on discs and joints and loads pressure on your spinal muscles.

3. Muscular imbalance can occur when certain muscles in the body become stronger or more developed than others. A good example would be the pectoral muscles being stronger than the back muscles. So it's important to have a chair that supports good posture

How can you tell if you are balanced? Stand with your shoulders in line with your feet, and arms by your side. Are your thumbs pointing forward? if so, you're OK. If your palms are pointing behind you, you're out of balance.

4. Bending forward from the lower back (sitting or standing).

5. Sitting at the computer for 8 hours of more, leaning forward to write or type with your

elbows too far away from the body.

6. Even holding your phone too close to your ear too often causes tension in the neck and

upper back.

4 Yoga poses you can do at your desk that will:

• Lengthen short hip flexors

• Retrain glutes and hamstrings to fire more efficiently

• Strengthen abs to help pull pelvis into place.

At the desk > move chair back, lean forward and rest elbows on the desk and clasp hands behind back.

"Seated pigeon" > take right ankle and rest it on your left knee, then gently lean forward keeping the spine long. Then repeat on the other side.

"Sitting Cat-Cow" > sit with spine straight. Inhale and open the chest, then exhale and round the back.

"Half down dog" > stand behind the chair, lean forward resting your hands on the back of the chair while lengthening the spine

Practising Yoga with targeted poses can help fix these common issues, for example:

1. Shoulders rounding forward. Avoid the tendency to lean forward that most people do, practise yoga poses known as 'chest openers' which help in preventing this.

2. Muscle tension in the neck and upper back. Working on poses that help align your ear with your shoulders so that the muscles don't have to do the work of holding your head up, will reduce this. (Have a look at someone from the side: Are their ears in line with their shoulders? If not, they should be!!!)

3. A weak posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes, lower back muscles, latissimus dorsi - the triangular-shaped muscle located at each side of the back, under the arms) or weak trapezius and rhomboids (large muscle located in the back from base of the head to end of the scapula then along the spine to almost the middle of the back)

And if you want to provide proper support when sitting, here are some tips:

• keep your feet on the floor - don't use a foot-rest

• do NOT cross your legs

• keep your ankles ahead of the knees

• maintain a small gap between the back of the knees and the front of your seat

• try to have a back-rest on your chair (use a cushion if needed) and adjust it so that it supports your mid- and lower-back.

• relax the shoulders and keep your forearms parallel to the ground

• and finally, do NOT sit in the same position for a long time; get up and move around every 30-45 minutes