Sitting is lethal in large doses, but so is standing!

Any position is bad, especially for your back, when held for long periods of time. All the hype surrounding sitting as the new smoking ignores the fact that plenty of jobs require standing for long periods of time also, and the back pain can be just as intense. Going all in for one or the other is not necessarily going to guarantee you an escape from pain or a longer life as is claimed by the standing desk phenomenon. 

Is there a happy medium between sitting in standing if you must work at a desk?

Humans are meant to move- there are no two ways about this; we are meant to change positions between horizontal and vertical, sitting and standing, exercising and stretching in equal parts throughout the day. Office workers face the quandary of being tied to a desk which requires them to either sit or stand and, depending on the individual, one may be more comfortable than the other. Try standing in one place for as long as you possibly can and chances are you won’t even come close to 8 hours. Long before your feet get tired, your posture will have caved in leaving you in the same boat as someone slouching in a chair. 

The question of productivity while sitting versus standing 

Everyone has their happy place, but if sitting feels more sustainable, there is nothing wrong with that. There are ways you can adjust your ergonomic set up and introduce exercise that will ensure that sitting will not take the horrible toll it is said to. Give our office in Fremont a call to schedule an appointment and start optimizing your work situation to account for the health of your back today. 

Dr. Francis Scorca, D.C.