Why Sitting For Continuous Hours Can Cause Serious Back Injuries.

There aren’t too many physical problems that can be caused by both doing something and doing nothing. Back pain is one of those rare conditions that fits into both categories.

Think about it. Back pain can be the result of any number of activities, from highly physical to barely moving. You can hurt your back playing a sport. You can harm it by carrying too much weight. You can injure it by lifting a heavy object without proper body mechanics. Some people have even tweaked their back walking or even just standing up. Years ago, professional baseball player Sammy Sosa, while with the Chicago Cubs, ended up on the disabled list, courtesy of a back injury incurred from a hard sneeze.

If we translate the major causes to specific jobs, it’s not hard to figure out who falls into the “doing something” category: furniture movers, athletes, warehouse workers, landscapers, carpet installers. You get the idea – anyone who either does a lot of heavy lifting or bends down frequently is a candidate.

But the “doing nothing” category can claim its share of victims as well: cab drivers, truck drivers, office workers – anyone who sits for a great deal of time continuously runs the risk of creating back problems for themselves just from the act of, well, sitting.

There are things that both groups can do to avoid or at least minimize the chances of incurring back pain. For the doers, proper lifting and bending mechanics are a top priority. We all know these things: lift with your knees, not your back. Avoid lifting anything too heavy. Do back-strengthening exercises. For the sitters, proper posture is perhaps the most critical. Stand up and stretch whenever possible. For office workers, make sure you have an ergonomically correct workstation.