Blog Audio - Dr. Jason Marchetti Talks about the Risks of a Sedentary Lifestyle

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal featured research from The British Journal of Sports Medicine and Cornell University which warned of the dangers of sitting at one’s desk all day. The article identified at least 35 chronic diseases, including diabetes, osteoporosis and cancer, which were statistically more likely to occur among men and women whose workday was spent in a sedentary position. The piece also offered suggestions for overcoming this health hazard. Dr. Alan Hedge, a professor of ergonomics at Cornell noted that for every half-hour working in an office, “people should sit for 20 minutes, stand for eight minutes and then move around and stretch for two minutes. While the article did not deal with the ramifications of a full day of sitting for spine and back health, Texas Back Institute physician, Dr. Jason Marchetti was enlisted to offer his professional opinion on this subject. Why Does Constant Sitting Cause Back Pain Dr Marchetti “Studies have shown that the pressure on the spinal discs is quite high when sitting,” Dr. Marchetti said. “In fact, many studies show that the pressure on the discs can be higher when sitting than standing.” “The disc is basically a shock absorber,” he said. “You can think of it as a rubber bushing. If you press on the disc, the sides bulge out and over time, as they wear, you can start to get some cracks in the outer ring of the disc. With the increase in the axial pressure on that disc (from sitting), it’s going to be more prone to get irritated and inflamed and with time, it can become more degenerative or more arthritic.” “Studies have shown that people with more physical jobs – they’re lifting and standing, rather than sitting – actually seem to protect their discs more and have less problems with inflammation,” he said. What Part Does Age Play? “I am not aware of any studies that show this disc inflammation from sitting increases with age,” Dr. Marchetti said. “Most of the studies which seek to ascertain the risk factors for chronic back pain are not pieced out between young or old. However, most are going to be among working adults.” “As all of us age, we are going to be prone to degenerative changes and the incidence of back pain increases as we age, he noted. “Interestingly, there is a peak in middle adulthood.” “The people between the ages of 40 and 60 have the highest incidences of back pain and this begins to decrease as they get into their senior years. We’re not really sure why this happens, because MRI’s show the spine ‘looking’ worse but for whatever reason, the incidence in back pain often decreases in the later years of life.” Does the Type of Chair Help or Hurt the Spine? “People are different,” he said. “There is no research that one type of chair is better than others and people respond differently to different chairs.” “I frequently have patients ask if there is some type of chair that they should be sitting in and the answer is that the best chair is the one which is most comfortable to them,” he said. “That being noted, it is very important to look at the office setting. We often hear about the ergonomic assessments of someone’s job space.” Read the Full Blog Post Here: http://texasback.com/about-us/blog/stay-seated-at-your-own-risk/