Brad Scott, AzOPT
Are you a professional sitter? Today, we live in a world with incredible advancements in technological development and assistance. In general, life is so much easier and more comfortable. For some, we can view our lives as relatively luxurious, especially compared to the lives of other generations.
However, we have also significantly reduced and even lost much in regards to physical status and functional capacities. Many of us are out of sync physically, having lost some of our physical awareness. As a physical therapist, I see this every day, and to be honest, it’s quite discouraging!
In my humble opinion, the main culprit is the duration of time we spend sitting each day. The human body was not designed to sit in chairs, as we typically see in America. Historically, and in some cultures still today, we see humans sitting on the ground, maintaining a squatted position, or resting on rocks and tree stumps.
These specific positions require active engagement of the musculature. There are subsets of muscles that are designed to be active and stabilizing at all times when the body is exposed to gravity. Although we are technically supported while sitting, there is still a constant force from gravity that needs to be reciprocated naturally and subconsciously. For this to happen while sitting in a chair, our legs must continue to apply equal force that stabilizes the lower half and engages the core, which is critical to optimal physical status.
To have a surface comfortable enough to sit on gives the body the wrong idea. We are designed to conserve energy as much as reasonably possible, which plays into the “path of least resistance” theory. Allowing the body to turn off core activating musculature while sitting in a chair leads to a wide variety of dysfunctional susceptibilities. Each and every deviation from proper alignment is detrimental to the body and leads to structural strain and degeneration of the body. Research has shown that in sitting, the low back experiences significant stress structurally and exponential increases in postural deviations.
So, are you a professional sitter? Unfortunately, a strong majority of occupations are seated jobs. To combat this, we must learn to function at our optimal status despite our circumstances. If you feel you have been suffering from being a professional sitter, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at AzOPT. Don’t let sitting compromise your health—take the first step towards a better life! Our passion truly is to help you live better! Please call us at 623-242-6908 or visit www.AzOPT.net if you would like to learn more.