The Sitting Society

When you’re at a train station, metro, bus stop, or anywhere with lots of people standing still, observe them carefully (you can look away if it starts to feel… awkward).

Notice the height of each shoulder, especially the one carrying a bag or backpack. Notice if the head is leaning too far forward (toward the foot that touches the ground first when walking) and if the legs are bowed, like Charlie Chaplin.

And what if we told you that in many of these cases, those postures are the person’s own fault? Due to carelessness but also, of course, lack of awareness?

The easiest phenomena to observe are muscle atrophy and shortening. When explaining a change in the shape or function of a muscle or organ, or the loss or improvement of a human ability, it is common to use the English expression “use it or lose it.” Muscle atrophy and shortening are perfect examples of this rule.

Sitting involves hip flexion at about 90°, which keeps the Quadriceps and Iliopsoas muscles in a very shortened position. Combined with the very few and weak contractions of these muscles, this leads to a reduction in their length, elasticity, flexibility, and muscle mass. This is particularly harmful in the (charismatically named) Iliopsoas, because it has strong attachments to the lumbar vertebrae.

Other structures particularly affected by immobility and prolonged posture are the intervertebral discs. These structures, made up of 70 to 90% water, lose much of it throughout the day, and staying in the same position for too long intensifies the outflow of water from the disc in the areas under the most load. Adding to the shortening of that oddly named muscle, we have an almost perfect cocktail of predisposition to injury in bone, muscle, ligament, or nerve structures in the lumbar region.

And I say almost because there is a third player in this “wonder trio.” It’s a muscle called the Transverse Abdominis. As a deep abdominal muscle, it should not be confused with the “belly muscle” (the Rectus Abdominis), which everyone would like to have more or less well-defined as a “six-pack.” The Transverse Abdominis plays a fundamental role in stabilizing the spine and the trunk in general. It contracts (not consciously) a few moments before any movement we make to maintain or slightly increase intra-abdominal pressure, stabilizing the spine and it is often impaired in its function. Why?

Because the body spends too much time immobile or with little movement. If the body is mostly still, supported, and stabilized by a chair or sofa, the Transverse Abdominis is not called upon to contract, since that job is being done by the chair or sofa. And what was it again? Use it or lose it, right?

Another important fact is related to breathing, specifically, the volume of breathing. Lack of activity, in the short and medium term, leads to reduced respiratory volumes, meaning the amount of air inhaled and exhaled. This happens because, in the absence of a need to breathe large amounts of air (e.g., during exercise), the small and limited movement in the costovertebral joints (between ribs and vertebrae) triggers increased stiffness, which in the long term reduces their range of motion.

You’ve probably heard of or know someone with “sciatic pain.” Now stand up. One of the causes of it (although in this case it is not clinically correct to call it sciatica) is related to the irritation or shortening of a muscle called the Piriformis. This small muscle, located deep in the gluteal region, lies behind the sciatic nerve, and in a small percentage of people the nerve even passes through the muscle. Spending long periods sitting is almost like “crushing” the Piriformis; moreover, the leg position most of us adopt when sitting encourages its shortening. This leads to a decrease in its length, swelling from inflammation, and even spasm, which blocks the nerve’s movement and/or compresses it, producing the typical symptom of pain along the back of the thigh.

The contemporary work style (regardless of sector, industry, services, sports, agriculture, or any other) is truly a source of problems, as is the way we spend our free time. In the end, it all comes down to habits.

The issues mentioned here are just some of the most common ones.

Movement must be the motto of daily life. Alongside sedentary behavior and physical inactivity, prolonged postures and repetitive movements are perhaps among the greatest ailments of our time when it comes to physical health.

But future health depends on present health.

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