Sitting for long periods of time is bad for the body
I'm sure you've all heard of it
But how long is sedentary?
I believe many people can't say for sure
Let's start with the answer:
Continue to sit for more than 90 minutes
can be considered sedentary behavior
And in the face of daily work and study
How can we be in
Do not sit at the same time
And how can you try to stay healthy?
Today, we invite an orthopedic surgeon to talk about it in detail
01
Correct sedentary behavior
It's a good idea to leave your seat every 30 minutes, even if it's to get up and pour a glass of water, walk around the office, or get up and work for a while before sitting down.
If possible, it would be nice to be able to do some stretching exercises that allow for office conditions. Today, I recommend a few simple stretching movements that can be done on an office chair. They have a small range of movement, do not interfere with other people's work, and although the amount of activity is small, it must be much better than not moving at all.
01
Hip stretching
The hips and lower back of the worker will become tense due to sitting for a long time, and this seated stretch can stretch the hip and lower back at the same time.
Sit on the edge of the chair with your feet hip-width apart, cross your ankles on the opposite knee, and press your back forward and down until your chest and abdomen are close to your calves and knees.
▲Image source: Galaxy
2
Lower back pine dissolution
Rotate the chair to the side, hold the back of the chair with the arm closest to the back of the chair, and gently twist the front of the body towards the back of the chair. Extend your other arm toward the opposite knee, as far as you can.
▲Image source: Galaxy
3
Open-shoulder training
This stretches the shoulders and opens the ribcage of the chest, allowing more fresh air to enter the lungs and increasing oxygen uptake in organs throughout the body.
Sit up straight on the edge of the chair, put one arm to the side, straighten your back, and raise the palm of the other arm inward above your head, leaning to the opposite side. Or stretch your arms back, grasp the outside edge of the seat back, and push your chest forward.
▲Image source: Galaxy
4
Neck and shoulder stretching
Most office workers suffer from "mouse hand", a type of disease caused by hand and wrist strain such as carpal tunnel syndrome and tenosynovitis. The main manifestations are numbness, pain, and stiffness in the front of the wrist. This movement can effectively stretch the forearm and elbow muscles and reduce muscle stiffness.
Wrist: Extend your right arm with palm up, gently pull your fingers down and back with your left hand, switch hands, and repeat.
Shoulders: Stretch your body by straightening your arms with your fingers crossed and palms turned outward, gently raising your arms above your head.
▲Image source: Galaxy
5
Semi-underdog
This well-known yoga asana is an all-purpose full-body stretch that is especially good for stretching the leg muscles. Stand facing the back of the chair with your hands on the back of the chair and your feet back as far back as you can, pressing your back down while keeping your arms and legs straight.
▲Image source: Galaxy
2
Correct sedentary posture
If you must sit, then posture is important. The best sitting posture is actually the sitting posture that is most adapted to the natural structure of the human body, but it is not how comfortable it is. Only by conforming to the natural structure of the human body and having less pressure on the muscles and bones can it not be prone to soreness and injury, and can also ensure that the arm can move flexibly during work.
How to master the sitting posture is as follows:
01
Lay flat feet
Adjust the height of the seat so that the ball of your foot is flat on the ground. When the seat is too high, your feet will hang in the air or stand on your tiptoes, so you need to lower the height or put pedals under your feet. If the seat is too low, it will bend the knees and hook the feet after sitting, which will also increase the pressure on the patellar joint.
▲ Feet flat, image source: Galaxy
2
Power Equalization
The angle between the thigh and the calf is 95°~100°. At this time, the thighs and buttocks bear the weight of the body evenly, so that a certain section will not be pressed uncomfortably, and the pressure on the patellar joint is also small, which will not cause problems such as anterior knee pain.
3
The curvature of the spine should be maintained
When standing naturally, the spine is not a straight line, but has four physiological curvatures, and all four physiological curvatures are linked. After sitting down, it is most comfortable to maintain this level of flexion.
Assuming that the pressure on the lower back is 100% when standing in the correct neutral position, the pressure on the lumbar spine reaches 140% when the back and knees are seated at a 90-degree angle, which is more stressful than the posture of leaning back slightly. Leaning forward is the most stressful of these postures. Therefore, taking into account the curvature of the body's neutral position and the pressure on all parts of the body, the best sitting posture should be to lean back slightly.
▲Schematic diagram of sitting posture and lumbar spine force at various angles, image source: boostphysio
In addition, the direction of curvature of the cervical spine should be consistent with that of the lumbar spine. If the head is lowered excessively, the cervical spine will bend in the opposite direction, and headaches and shoulder and neck pain will easily occur. In addition, the weight of the head is equivalent to one-seventh of the body weight, and stretching the head forward will increase the neck pressure by 3~5 times.
▲Schematic diagram of the angle of the head bowed and the pressure on the spine, image source: Boostphysio
The thoracic vertebrae are mild kyphosis in their natural state, and the thoracic spine is relatively less active, and the hunched back and the fully straightened thoracic vertebrae will work together to straighten or bend the curvature of the cervical and lumbar vertebrae, so it is best to maintain the normal mild kyphosis of the thoracic vertebrae.
In general: Raise the monitor appropriately so that your eyes look directly at the upper edge of the monitor, and the curvature of the spine will generally be in a natural stretch at this time.
4
Elbows give support
To reduce neck and shoulder pain, in addition to maintaining normal spinal curvature, avoid shrugging shoulders and hanging arms. Bracing your elbows and forearms on a table or armrest can help your shoulders relax. When typing, keep the angle between the upper arm and the forearm at about 100°, and the pressure on the shoulder and neck is less.
5
The left and right sides should be symmetrical
The posture of lying down or reclining on the armrests makes the posture of the left and right limbs of the body inconsistent, and the musculoskeletal force is uneven, and for a long time, it may cause strain on the stabilizing muscles of the spine, and even postural scoliosis. Therefore, it is not advisable to recline in a chair when sitting for a long time, and the spine should be neutral and the shoulders should be at the same height.
It is important to note that it is anti-human to maintain a standard angle for long periods of time when we are sitting, and that a better posture should always be dynamic, not static. Keep the correct posture in mind and remind yourself of it, but don't make yourself "obsessive-compulsive" too.
▲Office workers mark their sitting posture, picture source: Galaxy
3
Choose the right office equipment
In addition to having a good idea of what kind of sitting posture is the healthiest, it is also important to create a good sedentary environment.
01
Work desks and chairs
When sitting for a long time, try to choose a chair with a backrest, which can reduce the pressure on the spine by 60% and relax the muscles. If you sit for a short time, you can choose a stool without a backrest, and use muscle contractions to maintain your balance, and it can also play a role in exercising.
Also, make sure that the height of the computer is appropriate and that the material of the chair is not too soft or too hard. Among the different types of backrests, the one that fits the natural curvature of the spine is the most comfortable. If the back of the chair is straight, a thin cushion can be added behind the waist to support the lumbosacral region. When you don't have a table to support your arms, the armrests of your chair can help carry weight and reduce pressure on your shoulders and neck.
2
Monitor & Keyboard
When working on a laptop or tablet, it's common to hunch over your head to see the monitor. It's easier to sit in a good sitting position by raising your computer with a stand that keeps your eyes almost parallel to the upper edge of the monitor, and keeping the monitor arm's length away from you.
However, raising the computer will also raise the keyboard, increasing the pressure on your wrist while typing. Therefore, it is best to connect an external keyboard to the desktop (preferably with a wrist rest), or to connect a computer with a higher monitor with the desktop flat.
▲Image source: Galaxy
Okay, that's all for this sharing, have you learned?