The Effects of Sitting at a Desk All Day

There are the more obvious problems:  poor posture, obesity, depression, and chronic back pain that come from sitting at a desk all day long. However, sitting at a desk all day can cause a meridian of health problems and chronic pain.

1. Deep Vein Thrombosis

This is a condition where potential deadly blood clots form in your legs when you don’t get up and move for prolonged periods of time.  This is typically associated with long flights but has also been linked to sitting at work, school or home–or anywhere for that matter.

2. Herniated Disk

An injured disk occurs when disk in between the vertebrae inside the spine begins to bulge out of place from prolonged pressure. It may be surprising to realize that sitting can cause such a serious injury as a herniated disk but bodies are not designed to sit slumped in a chair all day.  That combined with compressed pressure can cause the serious issue.

3. Poor Posture

You may have guessed sitting all day can cause weakened muscles; however, you may not realize that slouching can cause a meridian of other problems. The specialists at Seattle Chiropractic say not sitting up straight actually can cause back pain, neck pain and chronic headaches by weakening the muscles and tightening the joints.

4. Knee Pain

Sitting for long periods of time also have a negative effect on your knees. Sitting all day can put pressure on your knees, which may lead to pain and swelling in your kneecaps.

5. Shorter Life Span

In addition to causing injuries and chronic pain, a sedentary lifestyle can cause a slower metabolism, depression, obesity, and an increased risk for heart disease, diabetes, and high cholesterol.  With this meridian of problems and increased risks, studies show that people who work a desk job don’t live as long.  If you have a job where you sit for long periods of time but still find time to exercise, your risks go down drastically. The study says 35-percent of women and 18-percent of men die younger than people who don’t sit all day.  For those who sit all day and don’t exercise see a dramatically higher risk for an earlier death.  The study shows 94-percent of women and 48-percent of men die sooner than people who live a more active lifestyle.

If you have to sit all day, make sure you move throughout the day and find time to exercise regularly.  Sit up straight, take care of your spine and strengthen your back muscles.  If you are already injured or have chronic pain, consider visiting a chiropractor.   It may be a more natural way for you to get pain free without surgery. When you aren’t in pain you are more apt to exercising and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  You are only as young as your spine is healthy.

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