There has been increasing awareness over recent years about the negative effects that sitting can have on our overall health. This is relevant for a lot of us as many occupations have traditionally involved sitting for extended timeframes. We also tend to sit for long periods during our years of education at school and university, and the nature of modern entertainment and technology can mean many of us spend our leisure time in sedentary positions.

So what’s all the fuss about sitting anyway?

When you read the list of potential health effects associated with increased sitting duration and the wide array of body systems that can be affected, it comes as no surprise that some people have likened the list to those issues associated with smoking.

A very large review of the literature on this subject published last year (1) linked increased sitting time to a number of chronic health issues including:

  • A significantly increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes
  • Higher rates of cardiovascular disease mortality and cardiovascular disease incidence
  • Higher rates of cancer mortality and cancer incidence
  • Shorter life expectancy

Prolonged sitting has also been associated with increased blood pressure, increased insulin resistance and impaired glucose tolerance (related to Diabetes), obesity levels, excess abdominal body fat, increased cholesterol levels and muscle and joint disorders – spine/neck and upper limb disorders

So how much sitting is too much?

There is no definitive answer to this yet, but the authors in the study mentioned above suggested that based on current knowledge 8hrs or more per day of sitting (including work, travel and leisure time) may be considered significant, earlier studies have suggested that even 4 hours per day could be too much. The duration of sitting when not broken up by movement may be where many of the health issues come from. While sedentary, the body isn’t burning energy and over longer periods of time this may “switch off” some of the natural processes that keep our bodies ticking over including the normal breakdown of fats and sugars. With more frequent bouts of movement these processes are stimulated, reducing those negative health effects.

What about my spine and sitting?

Healthy muscle activity around the spine and trunk has been shown to be altered when we spend prolonged periods of time in slouched sitting (particularly the lumbar multifidus – part of the group sometimes referred to as your deeper core muscles) (2). It has also been shown that sitting in slouched postures can be associated with less activity of the very important pelvic floor muscles.

So how do i change this?

Often people think that if they exercise once they get home from a long day at the office, they will offset or payback the sitting “debt” they racked up during the day. This seems to make sense from a total energy use point of view, but interestingly the studies have suggested that just exercising outside of the extended sitting time, may not offset many of the negatives that come from long periods of sitting.

More importantly, it seems that changes can be made by sitting less in total but also frequently breaking up the duration of the sitting that you have to do. While the evidence is still not exact on specific numbers, it is thought that even getting up to move briefly every 20-30 minutes could be enough to make a big difference. This movement causes you to place those healthy demands back on the muscular and circulatory systems (not to mention provide a positive break for your brain..).

The use of sit-stand work stations or variable desk heights is becoming increasingly common place and on the whole this has been a positive initiative. However, more research is needed to determine the optimal balance of sitting and standing. The standing option can be beneficial through changing muscle length and spine position to potentially help with neck and back pain and also reduce arm stressors with reaching tasks. However prolonged standing in a stationary position could cause other areas of pain or discomfort. The real benefit from a standing work station may come from the fact that generally you’ll be more inclined to “move” from that work position. Shifting weight from one leg to the other, stepping sideways along the desk, or making short trips across the office are all more likely to happen once you’re standing up.

And sitting posture?

There is no conclusive evidence that posture alone is directly causative of neck or back pain. However in the clinic we see many patients every week with neck, shoulder and back problems who report their symptoms to be aggravated with sitting. This could in part be related to increased tension placed on muscles, joints and ligaments and compromised circulation from less than ideal positions. Part of our management philosophy to help these clients is to educate them on what their optimal posture can look and feel like, ensure their work station and seating set up is as good as it can be and also to ensure they have the muscle conditioning to cope with their work demands. However as we often say to patients when it comes to sitting well, “remember gravity always wins”, so one of the most important strategies is simply to get up and move more often.

Keys to breaking the sitting habit…

  1. Think about it differently – don’t just think about being more active, think about being less inactive. Don’t think about standing more, think about sitting less
  2. Break it up – look to include frequent short breaks from any sustained positions throughout the day, whether you are sitting or standing. Moving for as little as a few minutes every half hour could be helpful.
  3. Can you do it standing? – find opportunities within your usual duties to stand away from your desk to complete those tasks : taking a phone call, when speaking to a colleague in the office, or to eat your lunch…
  4. Long lunch – many will smile at this given how busy work can get, but try to use lunch and tea breaks to go for a wander, aiming to move for the majority of time during your break
  5. Consider your commute – walking or riding to work is fantastic. But even if that isn’t possible, could you stand rather than sit on the train?
  6. When you do sit, sit well – think “open chest and upright spine”, this will give you a more active posture and minimise the tension placed on muscles and joints
  7. Variety is the spice – the perfect posture may not be attainable for everyone, but look to reset your position frequently, this can be helpful in managing muscle and tissue related soreness.

 

  1. Biswas A, Oh PI, Faulkner GE, Bajaj RR, Silver MA, Mitchell MS, et al. Sedentary Time and Its Association With Risk for Disease Incidence, Mortality, and Hospitalization in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2015;162:123-132.
  2. 2. Jackson M, Solomonow M, Zhou B, Baratta R, Harris M (2001) Multifidus EMG and Tension-Relaxation Recovery after prolonged Static Lumbar Flexion; Spine  Vol 26(7) pp 715-723