You can get hurt from sitting, sleeping, and other normal activities.
Becoming hurt after sitting for too long, sleeping, or sneezing is a real thing. I came across this post on Facebook (credit @WeirdPeopleRock) and thought about the changes in conditions I see as age increases in patients. It is true that a lot of injuries for teenagers and even young adults are due to physical activities. These injuries tend to resolve more quickly because of numerous factors. The injuries themselves tend to be acute as opposed to chronic or overuse. Many teenagers and young adults tend to be physically healthier as they have not had years of physical detraining from sedentary behaviour. They are also less likely to have chronic health conditions (diabetes, smoking, arthritis, etc.) that impact the body’s ability to heal.
What is physical detraining?
Adults tend to have jobs and responsibilities (daily requirements) that are sedentary which results in physical detraining. When our muscles, joints, and nervous system aren’t working at optimum capacity they are more likely to become injured because the body is less capable of dealing with loads and forces. Pain and injury causes many to avoid physical activity for fear of making it worse. This propagates a negative cycle of sedentary behaviour, physical detraining, pain and injury.
One of the comments under the post was “how come no one told me I could get hurt from sitting?”. Let me be clear, you can get hurt from sitting! Exerting a force (even very low levels) for a sustained period without a break can lead to pain and injured tissues. Repetitive strain injuries, cumulative trauma disorders, occupational overuse syndromes, sprains, and strains are all examples of pain conditions from this cycle.
Will exercise make my pain worse?
A certain amount of rest or relative rest is important when experiencing an injury. There comes a point, however, where rest is more harmful than helpful. This is why it is always advisable to seek professional health care for injuries. It is important to break this negative cycle but to do it safely. That’s where Haptic Health and Chiropractic comes in. The focus needs to be on the correct exercises, movements, and activities to help you heal. The secondary focus is to shift away from habits that promote sedentary activity and the resulting physical detraining. Our goal is not only to help reduce your pain and restore function. It is also to help realize your physical potential so that your body can better handle daily requirements.
If you are experiencing pain from sitting for too long, after picking up groceries, after leaning forward to spit out toothpaste, you are not alone. Whether these actions have lead to low back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, or any other muscle, nerve, or joint dysfunction we can help. We provide chiropractic care, rehabilitation therapy, medical acupuncture, and custom orthotics to East Gwillimbury and the neighbouring communities.
Ready to book your first appointment?
Give Dr. McCann a call at 905-235-6777
Email us at judith@hapticchiro.com
Book online at your convenience.