A new study from the University of Turku (Finland) showed that Reducing the amount of time you spend sitting daily can help prevent back pain from getting worse within six months. The result reinforces the current understanding of the relationship between activity and back pain, as well as the mechanisms linked to back pain.
Intuitively, it’s easy to think that reducing the time spent sitting would help with back pain, but data from previous research is surprisingly scarce. The study carried out by the Turku PET Center and the UKK Institute in Finland examined whether Reducing daily sitting could prevent or alleviate back pain in overweight or obese adults who spend most of the day sitting. Over the six months of the study, participants managed to reduce the time they spent sitting by an average of 40 minutes per day.
“Our participants were fairly normal middle-aged adults, who They spent a lot of time sitting, did little exercise and gained weight.. These factors not only increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, but also of back pain”explains doctoral student and physiotherapist Jooa Norha, from the University of Turku (Finland).
Previous results from the same research group and others have suggested that sitting could be detrimental to health. back healthbut the data is preliminary. Robust methods for studying Mechanisms of back pain.
Spending less time sitting each day could ease back pain
Researchers also looked at possible mechanisms for preventing back pain. “However, we do not find that changes in back pain linked to changes in adiposity or glucose metabolism in the back muscles,” explains Norha.
THE People with back pain have excessive fat deposits in their back muscles.and poor glucose metabolism, or insulin sensitivity, may predispose to pain. However, back pain can be prevented or relieved even if there is no improvement in muscle composition or metabolism. Researchers used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and radioactive tracer-based PET images to measure back muscles.
“If you are prone to back pain or excessive sitting and you are concerned about the health of your back, you can try to find ways to reduce the time you spend sitting at work or during your leisure time. However, it is important to note that “Physical activity, such as walking or doing brisk exercises, is better than standing.”Norha said.
