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3 Oct, 2012

Sitting For Long Causes Lower Back Pain: What Can Be Done?

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Portland, Oregon (PRWEB) October 02, 2012 – Lower back pain seems to be at the top of the list for a lot of first time personal training clients. According to Portland personal trainer Kisar Dhillon (pictured), one of the biggest key factors when questioning potential clients is that a lot of them sit for long periods of time, which can create tension on the lower part of the back. How can these be? Well, the answer is simple!

When the body is in a seated position, the upper part of the leg is in a flexed position. Just like when a person flexes their biceps muscle to show it off, the same is true for that part of the leg. So when a person decides to stand up, those muscles that have been shortened for a certain amount of time now have to lengthen. When that lengthening occurs it actually pulls down on the front part the pelvis, just like dumping out water from a bucket. This movement of the hip getting pulled forward and downward will cause the lower back to ache and feel like there is massive amount of tension being placed on it. This tension is the lengthening of those hip flexors that now have to be activated to create movement and flexibility.

A simple rule of thumb is to stand up once in awhile and stretch the front part of the legs or quadriceps. This can be done by grabbing your leg and pulling it towards the buttocks region and holding it for at least twenty to thirty seconds, and then do the other side. When the hip flexors are kept stretched throughout the day, those aches and pains in that part of the lower back should subside, especially if it just involves the muscles.

Another great fitness tip to be put into action for individuals who sit for long periods of time is to practice sucking in your stomach and holding it for a goal time. For example, if there is going to be a phone call that is going to last a few minutes, or an email that needs to be read and replied to, make that the duration of time that the abdominal region will be engaged for. Just doing this small exercise will help strengthen those core muscles, and at the same time alleviate some lower back tension that is being caused by that seated flexed position of the hips.

Regardless of wherever a person may be, at the office or in the car, everyone needs to keep getting up and walking around. The human body was not meant to sit for long periods of time, even though the jobs demand it. If more and more of the workforce would get up out of their chairs and stretch a little bit and go to the water cooler for a drink of water every hour, there would be less back aches and more productivity.