As we as humans become more reliant on technology to make it through our daily lives, the “typical” day of our time looks a lot different than it did not all that long ago. There is a huge percentage of the population whose day goes as follows: wake up, drive to work, sit at a desk from 9-5, drive home, sit on the couch and watch TV, and go to bed. What is the common trend throughout this day? This person sits for 90% of the day. Even if this hypothetical person got in an hour-long workout before heading to work, it's still extremely difficult to counteract the negative effects of so much sitting. To make things worse, most of the time spent sitting is also spent hunched over a computer or cell phone. This makes it not only a problem for the lower back, but now also for the mid back, neck, and shoulders. What we need is a targeted stretch in Orlando FL to help with this problem.

MODERN LIFESTYLE AND THE EFFECTS ON OUR BODY in Orlando FL

Hours of sitting at a desk hunched over a computer or staring at a cell phone wreak havoc on the body over time. Hip flexors start to tighten up, glutes become inactive and increased rounding of the mid back and shoulders and forward head carry just to name a few. I hear all the time patient’s saying “I hold my stress in my traps” which to a certain extent is entirely possible. The more likely scenario is that person is suffering from poor posture, aka forward head carries, and their traps are working overtime to hold their head in place. The problem with this is not only done this promote tightness and soreness of the traps from being overworked, but it also inhibits the function of a group of muscles known as the deep neck flexors. Once the deep neck flexors become inhibited it becomes that much more difficult to “turn off” the overworking traps which lead down the path to further pain and dysfunction.

There is a lot to cover on exactly how to treat each of these individual compensations or postural deviations so I will go into detail for each one in later posts. There are two simple pieces of advice I want to give so you can start down the journey to better function and less pain. The first is to MOVE! I love the saying “movement is medicine” and I truly believe that’s true. It doesn’t have to be much but simply getting up off your butt and moving for a few short minutes can make a positive impact. My best trick to get you up and moving more often actually kills two birds with one stone. I suggest drinking at the absolute bare minimum half of your body weight in fl oz of water. So, a 200 lb person should be drinking at least 100 fl oz of water a day. And what happens when your drink a ton of water throughout the day? You have to get up and go to the bathroom more often. Now you’re well hydrated and moving more, Win-win.

The second piece of advice is simply to become more aware. Think about how you are sitting or standing. Do you raise your phone to your eyes or keep it in your lap and hunch over to see it? Do you sit with your butt against the back of the chair or do you slide lower and lower down as the day goes on? Do you read or watch TV in bed with multiple pillows propping you up which is shoving your head even further into that dreaded forward head carry? Simply being aware of your body positioning and asking yourself, “When I do that, how does it make my body feel?” It is truly amazing how much of a difference this small tip can make. In summary, while long hours of sitting are known to cause pain and dysfunction, it is simply avoidable for some. That is why adding frequent small bouts of movement and becoming more aware of your body can be your saving grace in trying to avoid chronic issues and pain. And of course, come visit your friendly neighborhood chiropractor!

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