Does Sitting cause low back pain? This may seem like such a clear and obvious question, especially for those who tend to get their back pain specifically sitting for any length of time. However, a recent study that looked at 41 studies on the matter found that sitting is not a factor and there is an absence of a relationship, with no association between prolonged or occupational sitting and lower back pain. I must admit I was quite surprised when I saw the results as I would have said, in fact I have said in the past with a fair degree of certainty that sitting is a major cause of back pain. Its worth noting the authors did state the fact that sitting does lead to other negative health outcomes, such as heart disease, diabetes and some cancers.

It’s more than likely a chicken or egg type of scenario, where an issue may already exist and is aggravated by sitting rather than sitting in of itself causing the back pain. From my own experience treating 1000’s of back pain sufferers over the years is that they rarely only feel pain when just sitting, it may also be felt when they do a certain movements, certain exercises, excessive loads while lifting, even first thing in the morning despite the fact they have had an extended break from sitting.

The researchers also concluded that more than likely the pain that is felt when sitting is due to muscle tension and tightness. Which would indicate to me that the tightness and tension is there to begin with. So this should be reassuring to most people who suffer from low back pain, sitting will not damage you spine or the disc’s, which is often perceived by many back pain suffers and this may also be another factor, especially with people who have a lot of fear around sitting and the perceived negative effects.

Finally, it is worth mentioning people who get regular general physical activity have lower levels of back pain so it is still important you keep active not only to help prevent low back pain but improve overall health./p>

https://www.deakin.edu.au/about-deakin/media-releases/articles/deakin-mega-study-shows-sitting-not-so-bad-for-back-pain

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