Sitting for Longer Periods Can Lead to Disc Degeneration

Do you often sit for hours each day?  If so, you will likely find yourself experiencing back pain after several days or weeks of being sedentary. A lot of people, especially those who work at desks for eight hours straight, experience pain in their lower back.  Sometimes they can even develop chronic pain, which can last for hours and days at a time.

Low back pain due to sitting for long periods of time is often caused by muscle tension and stiffness. However, a study conducted by doctors at the Spine Center in Hokkaido, Japan, indicated that there is more to that when it comes to lower back pain. The study showed that sitting too long can also lead to disc degeneration and disc herniation.

Research was conducted on 200 volunteers between the ages of 30 and 55, with 68 men and 132 women. A T2-weighted MR imaging machine was used to determine the spinal conditions of the various participants with regard to different data, including episodes of low back pain, smoking, posture, and number of hours standing and sitting.

According to the research results, the number of hours sitting down, as well as the age of the patient, were both tied to disc herniation, more specifically the L4-5 disc herniation. This means that people in that age range are most likely to experience herniated disc.

Though sitting down for long hours is required for many jobs, you should try to stand up once and while and do a little stretching to avoid muscle tension and lower back pain. Chiropractor NYC suggests that proper posture when sitting down, as well as good nutrition, can help reduce the chances of lower back pain and disc herniation. In case of disc degeneration, Chiropractor NYC offers top of the line treatments that provide a safe cure and encourage faster recovery.

Source: Journal of Nuerosurgery, Oct. 2009, vol.11, no. 4, pages 501-507

-Dr Sid
Esprit Wellness