BENGALURU: Our present-day lifestyle involves prolonged hours spent sitting, either working in front of computers or watching television at home. Sitting for long hours everyday not only increases the chances of developing diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure, but also affects spine health.
Neck and back pain are amongst the most common complaints among desk workers who spend around 8-10 hours a day in a sitting position. Research has shown that prolonged sitting affects the ligaments, muscles, joints and discs of the spine. Inactivity weakens the spinal, gluteal and abdominal muscles which reduce core strength.
Bad posture like hunching or slouching forward, sliding to the chair’s edge and leaning back, neck bent to look high or down while looking at the computer — all of these can lead to chronic repetitive stress on the trunk muscles and the spine structure that can cause significant back, neck or shoulder pain.
Here are some habits that can affect your spine:
1. Poor Posture: With age, gravity starts to work against us which further compresses the spine. Poor posture can add more trouble to the problem, compressing the spine even further leading to rounding the body, pain and troubling the disks. Back and neck pain also leads to a diminished quality of life among people.
2. Carrying Heavy Loads: Carrying heavy grocery bags, backpacks, shopping bags, can make a person lean on one side. When the body stays tilted for long time, it can damage the spine.
3.Using Mobile Phones: Though using a mobile is a habit that has become a part of our lifestyle, it is important to remember that it can immensely damage the spine. Craning the neck to use a mobile puts a lot of pressure on the backbone.
4. High Heels: Wearing high heels often too frequently can disrupt the alignment of the spine’s curvature. This can severely affect posture and can cause the backs and hips to flex.
5. Bad Sleeping Position: Bad sleeping positions can be detrimental to spine health. It can put increasing pressure on the spine arch and neck which ultimately leads to joint and back pain.
(The writer is the Deputy Chief Medical Officer at Jindal Naturecure Institute)