20 Jun Why Is Sitting So Bad For Us?
On the off chance that you need a small but substantial fire under your ass to get moving, let’s talk about why sitting, frankly, sucks. To start, sitting has unpleasant short-term effects—it can make our hips, back, and elsewhere feel stiff and tight. And if you’re experiencing stiffness, pain probably isn’t far behind. Sitting with bad posture – or poor alignment – puts additional stress on our joints, as well as soft tissue, like our low back. Not to mention, the more sedentary you are, the more your body will want to be sedentary. In other words, not getting enough exercise or physical activity can actually make you feel tired. Most people don’t know how to sit optimally or get lazy when sitting for prolonged periods. The long-term effects are even more motivating—aka they’re more serious. Beyond the occasional discomfort or even chronic pain, sitting can cause irreparable damage to our bodies.
Over time, sitting can lead to musculoskeletal injuries from muscular imbalances and abnormal joint and soft tissue loading, while sitting with poor posture can also lead to irreversible changes in the skeletal system, like an increased curvature in the upper back.
If you’re already making all of the above changes to reduce the negative impact of sitting and still experiencing hip, back, or neck pain, the best action you can take is to see a physical therapist. And even if you’re not in pain and you just know your posture isn’t pristine, it’s time to see a physical therapist. The way we see it: The best time to fix a problem is before it’s too late.
