Sitting for long periods of time takes a toll on your body by stressing your back, neck, and shoulders. You’ll likely experience problems like stiffness, tightness in the hips, rounded shoulders, as well as the aches and pains that accompany these conditions.
At Active Care Chiropractic & Rehabilitation, our practitioners in Lafayette Hill, the Main Line, East Falls, Elkins Park, Manayunk and Hatfield, Pennsylvania, often recommend assisted stretching as a complementary or primary treatment to help counteract the effects of long-duration sitting, whether at work, school, or as part of a hobby.
Today, we’ll examine how long-duration sitting affects your body as well as how assisted stretching can help the problem.
Remaining in any one position for extended periods creates muscular imbalance throughout your body. Sitting contracts some muscles while relaxing others.
In short durations, this is positive, but only when subsequent movement, like standing and walking, contracts previously relaxed muscles and relaxes those that were contracting. Your body is designed to move regularly and often to preserve overall balance.
Common muscles that suffer from excessive sitting include areas like the upper back, chest, hamstrings, and hip flexors. Strain on these muscles can make everyday movements stiff and uncomfortable.
Assisted stretching is a guided therapy that introduces movements and stretches beyond the range you can achieve naturally. Our trained professionals help you to comfortably work muscles compromised by too much chair time.
We position and stabilize isolated muscle groups to build flexibility and strength over time, providing targeted attention and precise control over muscle activity.
Muscle tightness responds quickly to assisted stretching therapy. Your improved range of motion makes it easier to sit, stand, exercise, and walk more comfortably.
Relieved muscle tightness improves the duration of health benefits you receive from chiropractic adjustments, increasing the relief you’ll feel from both modalities.
The increases in flexibility and strength combine to help you cope better with prolonged sitting as well as giving you the freedom to exercise and move more effectively.
While you’ll feel improvement from assisted stretching on its own, treat it as a starting point for change. Consider these additional strategies to relieve the stress on your spine:
It’s hard to avoid prolonged sitting if it’s part of your life. You can, however, counteract the effects and reduce its impact on your overall health.
Contact Active Care Chiropractic & Rehabilitation, online or by phone, at our nearest location to learn more about assisted stretching as a treatment for your musculoskeletal problems. Plan your visit now
