Sitting More Than Usual in San Francisco?

Through this difficult time, many of you have been sitting more than usual. To make matters worse, your at-home desk setup isn’t as ergonomically friendly or you may not even have a true desk at all and have just been using the couch. This can put tremendous stress on the body and cause all sorts of aches and pains you may be feeling right now. What can we do about this? Contact our San Francisco chiropractors today to learn more or keep on reading below.

Sitting is a part of everyday life. It is honestly unavoidable. We want to take some stress off our lower body and relax while we work and sitting is perfect for that. While not immediately detrimental, chronic seated posture leads to shortening of the hip flexors, the pecs, the anterior shoulders, the posterior neck, and the upper shoulder muscles. Often, these can progress into pain in the low back or numbness/tingling sensations in the arms and may even contribute to carpal tunnel symptoms.

“But Doc, My job requires it, I have to sit at my computer!” This is a big part of working in San Francisco and in tech. Your job requires constant use of the computer and the most comfortable way to perform this work is seated. One way to combat this pain is to take frequent breaks. For every hour in a seated posture you should spend 5 minutes in another posture. That is, if you spend an hour seated, you should stand for 5 minutes or go take a 5 minute walk. I would recommend you get up every 30 minutes for at least 5 minutes of posture change or alternate between a seated and standing desk every 30 minutes. To keep yourself from straining I also recommend the “20-20-20 rule” For every 20 minutes you spend staring at a screen, change your body position to look at an object 20 feet away, for at least 20 seconds. While getting you out of that posture, this will also prevent eye strain and keep you working effectively all day.

“But Doc, Isn’t sitting the new smoking?” While sitting inherently causes these problems, chronic standing also has its own effects on the body, leading to pain in the feet, the hips, the low back and often still causing neck strain. What is the best position you ask?

The best work position is the one that you don’t spend longer than 30 minutes to an hour in!

You know what they say: Move it or lose it! Get your body moving. Changing your posture throughout the day has been shown to minimize pain. You can find additional benefits with stretching, walking, or strength training. What are some exercises you might ask? Well you can do your basic stretching routine and move your head but for something more in depth, set up a telehealth appointment or postural evaluation with one of our providers. Now scheduling online!

Dr. John Lutz, D.C.