As an osteopath I’m regularly asked about the effects of prolonged sitting on the spine so here’s what I have to say.

Research has shown that after just one hour of sitting the lower part of the back known as the lumbar region can become stiffer meaning that there is less range available in the lower back joints.  In this research study this part of the back became more resistant to bending forwards. 

So what?

By itself this isn’t a sole cause of lower back pain and stiffness doesn’t always equal pain and dysfunction. 

However, this stiffening over the short and the longer term could be said to be a factor which contributes to lower back pain and possibly dysfunction in other other areas of the body.  It’s the beginning of a chain of events. 

If our spine becomes stiffer then we have less and less range available to us in the joints of the spine (don’t forget you have 3 joints at every segmental level or vertebra - this could be said to increase to 7 if you include the rib joints at levels where you have ribs). 

Pain can occur when we do movements which do require a larger range of motion from our spine than we have available at that moment. 

This could be simple things such as twisting to talk to someone or bending down to pick something off the floor. 

Often it’s after ordinary movements such as these that people experience twinges and pain in their back and seek help from an osteopath. 

“I only bent down to put my socks on how could that have caused me so much pain” patients might say.  

Here’s my explanation:

Prolonged inactivity such as sitting leads to stiffness which is painless - if we don’t keep this stiffness in check this can lead to jarring and pain as we easily reach beyond our new limited range by doing everyday movements.  

The answer isn’t to move less or to limit our movements even further to protect our back. 

The answer is simple.

Move more. 

Be childlike but not childish - fidgit, roll on the floor, sit in as many different positions as you possibly can if you really do have to sit, wander off, twist, bend, roll….

The rest is up to you.

The content of this blog post is copyright of Holly Elliott registered osteopath GOsC 9607 trading as Helping Hands Health 15a Clayton Road, Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4RP.