THE PERFECT SITTING POSTURE DOES NOT EXIST! PERIOD!
Thanks for reading.
Just kidding! If only convincing people was this easy.
The internet is crammed with information regarding the right posture, alerts about sitting upright, and ads for the one perfect chair or desk that will fix your pain instantly.
Does it require either of this, all, or none to fix your pain?
Would sitting upright in the perfect posture on an ergonomically perfect chair resolve your pain or prevent it? And how is sitting upright ideal when it is so damn hard that it requires constant effort and doesn’t feel natural.
Not likely (not to forget it is a nuanced topic), because pain!. While sitting isn’t primarily because of improper posture, rather lack of movement while you assume a single posture for extended periods of time.
Before moving on with the blog I would like to make it clear that sitting down for more than 30 minutes in one position is not dangerous, nor should it always be avoided. However, moving and changing positions can be helpful, and being physically active is important for your health.
One would ask what is the difference when we say that sitting isn’t dangerous but lack of movement is? It is a matter of narratives. Promoting the idea of sitting or incorrect posture while sitting being harmful would urge us to look for fixes and solutions that help us adopt the perfect posture but lack of movement would encourage us to move our bodies more.
However, not everyone who will sit for hours experiences discomfort or pain. Pain is multifactorial and therefore depends on several factors like tissue damage, our emotional and psychological well-being, a good night’s sleep, our beliefs about what is happening to our body, etc.
Pain is also individual and context-dependent, sitting for 3 hours to watch a movie might not be painful but pain could be felt when sitting for the same amount of time to do something less interesting.
Although, If you experience pain on sitting the explanation below can help you understand one of the possible reasons for the same.
Our bodies are designed for survival, anything that impedes it actually or potentially, or if the brain thinks a certain task can lead to damage or disturbances, influences the brain to take certain action against that potentially dangerous task or movement.
There is a possibility of any task being painful or exaggerating pain and the opposites of it; any task that, even though it might seem dangerous or painful to us, does not lead to pain in someone else.
For example, the simple task of walking is painful for some, yet, experienced ballerinas dance with point shoes for many hours, reporting deep positive emotional satisfaction while their toes carry the weight of their body.
How does lack of movement due to sitting for a long duration cause pain?
There are acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) present in our body that sense changes in the ph value of our tissue. Sitting for long hours or lack of movement over a long duration leads to decreased blood flow in the area and causes the ph of our tissues to decrease i.e. become acidic, triggering the acid-sensing ion channels which leads to signals running up to your spinal cord and brain.
If your brain concludes that your muscles are in danger, (which seems logical considering the increased pressure, pH, and decreased blood flow in the area) it sends signals that lead to discomfort or pain in normal non-injured tissues, a signal from the body asking us to move, keep the system flushed and prevent further damage.
Ever sat for too long during a flight or zoom meeting and felt the urge to get up and stretch and doing so felt really good and relieving? That’s because doing that led to the relief of pressure, improved blood flow, and change in ph of the tissues back to normal from acidic, hence relieving the discomfort.
When such discomfort or the urge to move is avoided, the ASICS increase in number so as to better detect the change in ph more quickly and better, making you more sensitive to static posture and tissue acidosis aka even more signals to push you to move at an even shorter duration of sitting. Remember, it is easier and faster for two people to do the same task than one person.
The above mechanism can occur even when you even assume an ideal posture when sitting for long hours or even during standing. Which explains the fact that the pain/discomfort isn’t the fault of your posture but rather the lack of movement.
It is important to remember how pain doesn’t always indicate injury or harm but sometimes can guide us to take further action, it is our body’s way of telling us that something needs to change, like pain when you cut finger accidentally while chopping something, signals us to stop the activity and protect the area while pain while sitting for too long urges us to move.
The goal of the pain signals from the brain in both activities is to protect and prevent further damage to the body.
Wow! Amazing how these are only very few of the many benefits of moving.
David Butler in his book ‘the sensitive nervous system’ discuss the features which may suggest a more ischaemic/acidic pattern:
• Symptoms after prolonged or unusual postures.
• Rapid ease of symptoms after a change of posture, usually a change in the opposing direction.
• Symptoms towards the end of the day or after the accumulation of activity.
• A poor response to anti-inflammatory medication.
• Sometimes no evidence of actual trauma.
The solution:
Sit in a position that feels natural and comfortable to YOU, it doesn’t have to look “ideal”.
Change positions often, don’t ignore the little urges that push you to move or change positions.
Move, just move, it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Don’t believe everything on the internet.
The conclusion:
Sitting isn’t harmful, but inadequate physical activity is. If sitting for long hours causes you any discomfort or pain, moving your body at regular intervals can be a good starting point ( or consult a therapist) and if sitting doesn’t lead to any discomfort for you, then you do you! There is no current evidence that suggests that sitting for long can lead to back pain in the future either.
WHO currently recommends a minimum of 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity; or at least 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity; or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity throughout the week.
Get moving! 🏃♀️
For more go to Physio Explored Blogs
Cover Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels
Disclaimer: In the presence of pain all the structures and context must be clinically assessed, this blog is in no way a substitute to a clinical assessment and all must consult a physiotherapist or a physician in such a condition.
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