Reducing daily sitting can help prevent worsening back pain, according to a study from Finland. Switching postures and staying active are key for back health.
A recent study conducted by the University of Turku in Finland found that decreasing daily sitting time helped prevent the worsening of back pain over a six-month period. This finding reinforces existing knowledge about the relationship between physical activity and back pain, along with the underlying mechanisms associated with back pain.
Intuitively, it is easy to think that reducing sitting would help with back pain, but previous research data is surprisingly scarce. The study from the Turku PET Centre and UKK Institute in Finland investigated whether reducing daily sitting could prevent or relieve back pain among overweight or obese adults who spend the majority of their days sitting. The participants were able to reduce their sitting by 40 minutes/day, on average, during the six-month study.
The figure presents the change in back pain intensity on a scale from 0 to 10. The blue bars represent individuals in the intervention group that reduced sitting and the red bars represent the control participants who did not change their sitting habits. Most of the participants in the intervention group decreased their back pain whereas the back pain in the control participants tended to increase.
Credit: Jooa Norha
“Our participants were quite normal middle-aged adults, who sat a great deal, exercised little, and had gained some extra weight. These factors not only increase the risk for cardiovascular disease but also for back pain,” says Doctoral Researcher and Physiotherapist Jooa Norha from the University of Turku in Finland.
Previous results from the same and other research groups have suggested that sitting may be detrimental to back health but the data has been preliminary.
Robust methods for studying the mechanisms behind back pain
The researchers also examined potential mechanisms behind the prevention of back pain.
”However, we did not observe that the changes in back pain were related to changes in the fattiness or glucose metabolism of the back muscles,” Norha says.
Individuals with back pain have excessive fat deposits within the back muscles, and impaired glucose metabolism, or insulin sensitivity, can predispose to pain. Nevertheless, back pain can be prevented or relieved even if no improvements in muscle composition or metabolism take place. The researchers used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and PET imaging which is based on a radioactive tracer to measure the back muscles.
“If you have a tendency for back pain or excessive sitting and are concerned for your back health, you can try to figure out ways to reduce sitting at work or during leisure time. However, it is important to note that physical activity, such as walking or more brisk exercise, is better than simply standing up,” Norha points out.
The researchers wish to remind us that switching between postures is more important than only looking for the perfect posture.
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