Low back pain and sitting: effect of a chair decompression exercise on discs
Friday, May 14, 2010 at 9:06PMA few years ago a study reported that more than 75% of the working world spends a majority of our time sitting.[i] That is not really a surprise. We all sit too much.
It is common for people with disc issues or sciatica to complain of an increase in low back symptoms with sitting. Not only can increase low back pain that is acute but “Sitting, especially prolonged sitting is generally accepted as a risk factor in developing low back pain.”[ii]
So what are we sitters supposed to do? In a related post (http://digg.com/d31MSNP), I reviewed some of the evidence that is out there on the association between sitting and low back pain and made some recommendations for ways to decrease pain/risk.
In a related vein, a recent study published in The Spine Journal looks at MRI changes in discs in relationship to sitting. [iii] It is a very interesting study. The investigators looked at MRI scans at several points in time and looked for changes in the intervertebral disc in relationship to sitting behavior.
They looked at an MRI scan “before sitting, after 15 minutes of related sitting, immediately after seated unloading exercises and approximately 7 minutes after exercise.” [iv] The authors reported: [v]
- After 15 minutes of sitting, mean seated height on stadiometry decreased by 6.9mm
- After seated unloading exercises, the mean seated height increased by 5.7mm
A few things are noteworthy in these reported findings. First, loss of height in the discs was apparent after sitting for only 15 minutes. Imagine what happens after sitting all day. Second, the “unloading exercise” (described below) takes about 10 seconds to perform. With that small intervention, most of the lost disc height was recaptured. With that information in hand, the exercise seems like an easy sell.
Following is a description of the steps involved in the unloading exercise evaluated in this study:
- Sit and shift the buttocks towards the front edge of the seat
- Push off the seat with their hands or fists
- Extend the spine and simultaneously unload the spine
- Relax the back muscles in this unloaded position and hold for 5 seconds
- Then gently release the weight from the arms back onto the buttocks for 3 seconds
That’s it. Not too exciting. Obviously a larger study would be needed to determine if this exercise decreases risk ultimately for developing low back pain. However, until such a study is done it is a simple thing that we could all easily incorporate into our routine, just unloading the back every so often to look after our discs.
Besides, if this catches on then I won’t be the only one who looks like a doofus doing this at work.
[i] The Spine Journal 10(2010): 297-305
[ii] Eur Spine J (1999) 8: 187-193
[iii] The Spine Journal 10(2010): 297-305
[iv] The Spine Journal 10(2010): 297-305
[v] The Spine Journal 10(2010): 297-305
Reader Comments (2)
Hello,
Hello,
What causes my low back pain due to an Hernia L4L5 was a prolonged sitting through my intense useless activity on internet.At work I use the computer but standing up for 7 hours managing tools and machines.Of course I don't think to try exercises on a chair.I left my desk and have been moved in the living room.Laying down and using the TV screen as a monitor.
I discovered your usefull site by googling Mc Kenzie.Thanks.
I have constant lower back pain after standing for more than thirty minutes. What should I do?