Sitting & Back Pain: 21st Century Posture
- 1/2 of computer users have posture related back pain.
- Of those 67% report having neck and shoulder pain
- 40% have low back pain
- 29% report wrist pain. (US Department of Labor)
- Teenage lower back pain is increasing due to prolonged and improper poor sitting posture, especially during growth spurts.
Back pain used to be attributed mainly to lifting and other on-the-job or sports injuries and auto accidents, but the number of people reporting back pain that is directly linked to sitting or inactivity is skyrocketing. An initial increase was seen as people shifted from much more active lifestyles and jobs that required movement to finding passive entertainment in the form of television, and online activities, and employment requiring hours in front of a computer.
In 2020 shelter in place orders shifted a lot of workers from travelling to the office, to a work from home environment, thereby reducing activity further. As our habits of work, entertainment and shopping has moved largely online and is done sitting with a mobile device or computer – so must our habits change to counter the effects of sitting so much, or the result will be increased back pain.
AARP Discusses Health Risks of Sitting with Dr. Steven Weiniger
Pain felt after sitting is such a hot topic that it has an entire lesson devoted to it in Step 7 of the 7 Steps to StrongPosture program. Adding movement to your day can help significantly, but once pain is present chances are good that muscle tightness, muscle weakness and posture adaptations need to be addressed with a posture exercise program.
7 Steps to StrongPosture®
Dr. Steven Weiniger
[…] result is a body conditioned to sitting and back pain. Many people spend the majority of their life sitting with their torso folded and not […]