Many of us spend a great deal of work time sitting at a desk/station every day. The damage that is occurring to the spine and body can turn into a chronic condition. Chiropractic can reverse the sedentary effects of too much sitting and not enough moving. Between work and relaxation time, an individual can spend from 8 to 16 hours a day sitting, often with poor posture. The body needs to stay active to maintain health and high quality of life.
Sitting Too Much
Being sedentary can affect the body's total health. Some of these effects include:
- Heightened increase in the risk of chronic diseases, like heart disease and diabetes
- Chronic pain
- Poor flexibility
- Spinal misalignment
- Lower metabolism
- Weight Gain can lead to obesity straining the organs and joints
- Bone health diminishment increasing the risk of osteoporosis
- Increased risk of mental health issues like anxiety and depression
- Increased risk of certain cancers, specifically colon and breast
Chiropractic
Chiropractors are experts in spine health. The spine's integrity is at an increased risk when most of the day is spent sitting and slumping. When the body gets tired from being in one position too long poor posture and awkward positioning begin to develop. When posture is affected the body's health is also affected. This includes chronic spine misalignment that can cause chronic pain conditions. Spine misalignments brought on from too much sitting can be subtle and hard to detect without the help of a professional. Through chiropractic, the body’s own healing potential is released and increased.
Proper Spine Alignment Reverse Sedentary Effects
Once spinal alignment is restored, a chiropractor will guide the individual through the next steps to reverse the sedentary effects. They will make recommendations based on each individual's specific lifestyle needs. In addition to the chiropractic care the treatment plan can include:
- Massage
- Exercise
- Stretches
- Health coaching
- Nutritionist counseling
The objective is to reverse the sedentary effects and re-establish an individual's optimal health. Individuals will feel more energized and motivated to begin incorporating more activity and movement into their regular daily routine.
Body Composition
Maintaining Muscle Mass With Age Healthy Benefits
- Muscle loss is associated with a reduced metabolic rate.
- This means gaining body fat because there is less muscle mass to burn the calories.
- Increased body fat can plague individuals as they age.
- Loss of skeletal muscle mass is associated with increased insulin resistance. A known precursor of diabetes.
It’s quite common for older folks to rely on cardio workouts like running instead of strength training to help build and maintain muscle mass. Cardio has its own benefits. However, the greatest benefits result from going out of the body's comfort zone. Strength training has no age limit. Adding regular strength training twice a week can be all that an individual needs to reap the anti-aging benefits.
Disclaimer
The information herein is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional, licensed physician, and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make your own health care decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified health care professional. Our information scope is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, sensitive health issues, functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from a wide array of disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the musculoskeletal system’s injuries or disorders. Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and support, directly or indirectly, our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request. We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.
Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, CCST, IFMCP, CIFM, CTG*
email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com
phone: 915-850-0900
Licensed in Texas & New Mexico
References
Biswas A, Oh PI, Faulkner GE, et al. Sedentary Time and Its Association With Risk for Disease Incidence, Mortality, and Hospitalization in Adults. Ann Intern Med. 2015;162:123-132. doi:10.7326/M14-1651. Accessed January 7, 2017.
Corliss J. Too much sitting linked to heart disease, diabetes, premature death. Harvard Health Blog. http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/much-sitting-linked-heart-disease-diabetes-premature-death-201501227618. Published January 22, 2015. Accessed January 7, 2017.
Florido R, Michos E. Sitting Disease: Moving Your Way to a Healthier Heart. U.S. News & World Report. http://health.usnews.com/health-news/patient-advice/articles/2015/09/14/sitting-disease-moving-your-way-to-a-healthier-heart. Published September 14, 2015. Accessed January 7, 2017.
O'Connor B. Sitting Disease: The New Health Epidemic. The Chopra Center Web site. http://www.chopra.com/articles/sitting-disease-the-new-health-epidemic. Accessed January 7, 2017.
