8 Stretches A PT Does To Prevent Pain & Injury From Sitting All Day

Why do my knees hurt when I squat down to pick up my grandson? Why does my hip hurt when I swing a golf club? Why does my shoulder hurt when I serve in tennis? Why do my neck and back hurt when working in front of the computer? Why does my back hurt when I bend over to put my pants on?

In the clinic, patients ask us why they have pain in their neck, shoulder, hip, back, and knees. 80% of our physical therapy examination is based on the patient's subjective history of their condition and their medical history, and we typically find clues to help with the diagnosis. Oftentimes, we see patients who have sedentary-type jobs – sitting in front of the computer eight to 10 hours per day for five or more days per week -- often resulting in flexed hips, rounded and internally rotated shoulders, loss of lumbar lordosis (curvature in the lower back), increased thoracic kyphosis (curvature in the upper back), forward and protracted head and neck, and the loss of cervical lordosis (natural curve of the neck).

Our bodies are meant to move. Our bodies are not meant to be in a static position for long periods of time. With a lack of movement and stimulus load on our muscles and joints, over time our musculoskeletal and neuromuscular systems become deconditioned. That means our muscles become weaker, joints become stiffer, and reflexes for balance slow down, and these are some contributing factors that may result in musculoskeletal pain.

What often gets patients in trouble is when they try to move and load their muscles and joints out of their (limited) everyday capacity. These are patients that take up a sport they haven’t played in months or years, or who are weekend warriors who overdo it at the gym. It can also happen to elderly patients when doing activities like cleaning their homes or moving furniture.

The study divided 1,500 office worker participants into three groups: control, postural shift, and active break groups. The postural shift and active break groups were given a seat pad to facilitate active breaks and postural shifts during work, while the control group was given a placebo seat pad.

For the onset of neck pain, 17% of both the active and active break groups reported neck pain, compared to 44% of the control group. For the onset of low back pain, 9% of participants in the active break and 7% of participants in the postural shift group reported low back pain, compared to 33% in the control group. This study emphasizes the importance of active movement to prevent the onset of neck and low back pain. The postural shift and active break groups performed postural shifts 27.3 times per hour or took active breaks 32.5 times a day, which equates to approximately 100 minutes a day! 

Begin sitting in an upright position. Gently squeeze your shoulder blades together for five seconds, relax, and repeat 10 times daily.

Begin sitting in an upright position. Turn your head to look over one shoulder, then return to the starting position and repeat on the other side. Do three sets of 10 reps daily.