Can Sitting Long Periods Cause a Disc Herniation?

San Francisco Chiropractor Comments:

Most of the patients we treat at Executive Express Chiropractic in downtown San Francisco, spend the majority of their day sitting in front of a computer. Sitting for long periods can be very hard on the back and neck...especially on the spinal discs.

There is a right way to sit and many wrong ways...and depending on the physical condition of the body sitting in the chair...a herniated disc may be waiting to happen.

Our bodies simply are not designed to be sitting in a chair all day...they are designed to be moving around...they need motion for all the joints and spinal discs to stay healthy. Spinal discs and joints are avascular...meaning there is no direct blood supply to them. They receive nutrients from the bloodstream and expel waste products through a pumping action caused by motion...this process is called imbibition in the spine.

Often times sitting for long periods in conjunction with bad posture and poor lifestyle choices, such as...lack of exercise, poor diet, bad posture, not enough rest, too much stress (tight muscles), being overweight, using a bad pillow, etc...can lead to abnormal stresses on the lumbar or cervical spinal discs, and over time contribute to spine problems such as bulging and herniated discs.

Heck...you can even be a picture of health...but if you are in front of that computer for 10-12 hours per day with minimum breaks, working under intense stress...you are at risk.

So what should you do if you sit all day to prevent spine problems like disc herniations from happening?

Well...you should have a good ergonomic chair and proper workstation setup, you should take micro-breaks throughout the day, you should get plenty of exercise...including specific spinal exercises (from a chiropractor), use a cervical pillow when you sleep...have a good mattress, a good diet, and try to manage mental stress. In addition, chiropractic adjustments work wonders keeping the spine healthy and better able to handle just about anything. The more all of the above is out of balance...the more spinal adjustments you should get.

Since most of our patients at Executive Express sit all day...we know what to do. But if you do not live or work in San Francisco, find a chiropractor near you...one that prescribes exercises and understands nutrition, posture and ergonomics. Believe me...you will be glad you did.

For a complimentary consultation at Executive Express Chiropractic in the San Francisco Financial District...call 415-392-2225 or request an appointment online.

Comments

[Gary Donaldson, DC]

Thanks for the nice reference to imbibition.

[Dan]

Hi there, Dan from sitbetter here.

I absolutely agree!

Lack of motion is completely destructive on the body as a whole, not just the back!

The hips need to flex, the knees, ankles.... and plus, how about those people with their keyboards on top of the desk so they have to raise their shoulders up just to reach the keyboard!

Far more need to look at how they set themselves up at their computer stations!

[Gary Neal]

It's interesting to think about. I know with my job, I have to sit in an office chair all day. I think that it pays to have big and tall office chairs. They are so much more comfortable and it pays in the long run with less back problems right?