4 ms·

It's actually terrible for your butt (or at least your gluteus muscles, especially the gluteus medius). When you sit all day these muscles get inhibited/weak.

It's actually terrible for your butt (or at least your gluteus muscles, especially the gluteus medius). When you sit all day these muscles get inhibited/weak. When they're weak, you're more likely to have lower back pain. I sit a lot so I try to counteract that (as best as can be done) with some targeted glute med stuff after work. Check out http://posturedirect.com/is-sitting-destroying-your-butt-muscles/ http://posturedirect.com/is-sitting-destroying-your-butt-mus... for some more detail.

jondwillis 8y ago
At age 28, after 14 years of pretty intense computer usage... my body is an absolute mess. I work out, do yoga, run. Nothing completely frees me from the pain I have mostly from sitting all day, every day for my work.
- HatchedLake721 8y ago
  Have you seen a chiropractor?
  - Phantasmagoria 8y ago
    Herbal supplements might work better.
  - Aaargh20318 8y ago
    Why would seeing a quack help ?
    - dang 8y ago
      Please don't post unsubstantive comments or flamebait to HN.
      - Aaargh20318 8y ago
        How is it unsubstantive ? Chiropractors are quacks, and being treated by one can be very dangerous.
  - AstralStorm 8y ago
    Go to an actual honest licensed massagist first. And GP, since this is not right at all and sitting with breaks shouldn't do this. (not a doctor, but this might be how early lumbar disk problem manifests)
    - lwansbrough 8y ago
      I’d second this. I’m 25, have a broken back and still don’t have much pain in my lower back vs. what GP described. I’ve been doing the computer all day thing for about the same amount of time. If it’s a quality of life thing, get it checked out!
    - jondwillis 8y ago
      Copied from another sub-thread. So the full backstory is that I injured my back when I was 20, playing tennis barefoot of all things. My doctor just gave me muscle relaxers and told me to stretch more, which I of course did not do. Since then, I have re-injured my lower back three or four times, doing deadlifts and squats (incorrectly, I guess, not through lack of trying though.) Since my last injury, I have lowered weight, focused on form even more, and started doing Yoga for better core strength and flexibility. It is slowly helping and I haven't re-injured myself for over a year. I think I have just severely damaged my spine and I should probably go see a good doctor, chiropractor, or licensed massage therapist like some other comments have suggested. To quote episode 7 of HBO's hit limited series, "Sharp Objects", "Your health is not a debt you just cancel. The body collects."
  - oarsinsync 8y ago
    Can't speak for everyone else downvoting the above, but after seeing a chiropractor for an hour a week for 12 weeks, getting poked, prodded, pressed and acupunctured each session for up to an hour, I felt significantly better. A couple of years later, I saw a licensed massage therapist who after looking at my back for a minute, diagnosed exactly what had been wrong with me previously (my spine had become somewhat crooked, almost S shaped) and that it was visible that I'd had successful treatment to correct it.
  - peteridah 8y ago
    I second this, I have no idea why it's been downvoted.
    - tomhoward 8y ago
      I probably understand both sides of the debate over chiropractic better than most, so I'll try to answer. Chiropractic has become highly controversial for two main reasons. The first is that it claims its treatments (muscular-skeletal adjustments) can bring about healing of a wide array of illnesses in the body beyond just back pain. The basis of the claim is that by straightening the muscular-skeletal structure, they remove blockages in blood vessels and nerves, and the resulting improvement in blood flow and nerve signalling leads to improvements in organ function, immunity, tissue healing/growth, cognition, etc. The second is that one of its major treatments, the vigorous "neck-cracking" adjustment of the cervical spine, can occasionally cause a rupture to the main artery to the brain, leading to haemorrhage that can result in severe disability or mortality. Skeptics will argue that it's impossible that muscular-skeletal adjustments can heal other illnesses in the body. I gather some of them will dispute that muscular-skeletal misalignments can cause significant blockages in nerves and blood vessels, whereas others will deny that removing said blockages can lead to other health improvements. For what its worth, it seems the linked article lends some credence to the notion that muscular-skeletal alignment can influence other aspects of a person's health. Regarding the neck adjustment risk issue: opponents of chiro will concede that ruptures are very infrequent (estimates vary from once per several hundred thousand adjustments, to once per a few millon), but conclude that given the absence of benefits, it's not a risk worth taking. My own experience with chiro is mixed. I have used it a lot in the past, and I no longer do. I do believe that in some cases, serious misalignments in the muscular-skeletal system can cause nerve and blood-vessel blockages and lead to other impairments in the body. However I haven't found chiro to be the best way to relieve the pain or misalignments I'd been carrying; I've recently had better success with osteopathy and myotherapy (a form of massage focusing on the myofascial system). I have found some chiropractors (more than half those I've seen) to be over-confident about the benefits of their treatments. But then a handful of chiropractors (practitioners of a particular mind+body healing technique) have been the most valuable practitioners I've seen, of any kind. I have had neck adjustments and never had a problem, but I wouldn't encourage others to do it or allow it do be done to my children, and these days I avoid having it done, preferring to focus on relieving muscle tension through myotherapy.
- tboughen 8y ago
  As a teacher I used to spend about 6 hours a day sitting at a desk, and was having progressively worse lower back issues. 6 years ago I got a standing desk, which improved things quite a lot but only to a point. 3 months ago I started a body weight program, and this has done wonders for my lower back. There is still work to do, but the improvement has been consistent. I’m looking forward to how it (and me generally) will feel in a year!
- h4b4n3r0 8y ago
  You need to do compound exercises with a barbell, namely low back squat and deadlift. These target the so called posterior chain, which is all those crucial muscles you don’t see in the mirror. Mindlessly “working out” is not going to target all that to a sufficient extent. I was where you are now, started lifting and my back pain was completely gone within 2 months. I have been totally free of back pain for over 5 years now, going from not being able to lift a 60lbs barbell without pain to deadlifting 500lbs.
  - abledon 8y ago
    This! I didn’t lift for a while thinking it was just for meatheads etc. did lots of hiking / yoga but that stuff just doesn’t add the right muscles to your arms / hands . ESP grip strength to prevent rsi
    - h4b4n3r0 8y ago
      Can confirm, suffered from RSI as well. I think most doctors are unaware of the benefits. If they were, they wouldn’t prescribe the bullshit they’re currently prescribing. I’m not saying this will help everybody, but it’s 100% worth a try before trying anything more “medical”.
  - jondwillis 8y ago
    So the full backstory is that I injured my back when I was 20, playing tennis barefoot of all things. My doctor just gave me muscle relaxers and told me to stretch more, which I of course did not do. Since then, I have re-injured my lower back three or four times, doing deadlifts and squats (incorrectly, I guess, not through lack of trying though.) Since my last injury, I have lowered weight, focused on form even more, and started doing Yoga for better core strength and flexibility. It is slowly helping and I haven't re-injured myself for over a year. I think I have just severely damaged my spine and I should probably go see a good doctor, chiropractor, or licensed massage therapist like some other comments have suggested. To quote episode 7 of HBO's hit limited series, "Sharp Objects", "Your health is not a debt you just cancel. The body collects."
    - 8y ago
- HeadsUpHigh 8y ago
  Exercising can help fix some postural issues but depending on where you start from( i.e. how bad your posture actually is) you probably need to do a lot more targeted stuff than just exercising. You can visit a pt to help you but if you aren't convinced you should check this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-7ZWPCWv0U& https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-7ZWPCWv0U& I had rounded shoulders and anterior pelvic tilt myself due to lack of exercising and too much desk work but not as much as the guy on the thumbnail. I just exercised for about a year and my posture fixed itself but I started from a better starting point with no actual pain. Btw if you decide to do some research yourself about the issues you have, don't just follow the first video you watch but instead spend some time learning the subject. There are plenty of different issues people have that require different treatments( hence an entire profession being based around fixing them).
sundvor 8y ago
I read the GP as highly sarcastic, ie "water is wet - news at 5".

jondwillis 8y ago

At age 28, after 14 years of pretty intense computer usage... my body is an absolute mess. I work out, do yoga, run. Nothing completely frees me from the pain I have mostly from sitting all day, every day for my work.

HatchedLake721 8y ago
Have you seen a chiropractor?
- Phantasmagoria 8y ago
  Herbal supplements might work better.
- Aaargh20318 8y ago
  Why would seeing a quack help ?
  - dang 8y ago
    Please don't post unsubstantive comments or flamebait to HN.
    - Aaargh20318 8y ago
      How is it unsubstantive ? Chiropractors are quacks, and being treated by one can be very dangerous.
- AstralStorm 8y ago
  Go to an actual honest licensed massagist first. And GP, since this is not right at all and sitting with breaks shouldn't do this. (not a doctor, but this might be how early lumbar disk problem manifests)
  - lwansbrough 8y ago
    I’d second this. I’m 25, have a broken back and still don’t have much pain in my lower back vs. what GP described. I’ve been doing the computer all day thing for about the same amount of time. If it’s a quality of life thing, get it checked out!
  - jondwillis 8y ago
    Copied from another sub-thread. So the full backstory is that I injured my back when I was 20, playing tennis barefoot of all things. My doctor just gave me muscle relaxers and told me to stretch more, which I of course did not do. Since then, I have re-injured my lower back three or four times, doing deadlifts and squats (incorrectly, I guess, not through lack of trying though.) Since my last injury, I have lowered weight, focused on form even more, and started doing Yoga for better core strength and flexibility. It is slowly helping and I haven't re-injured myself for over a year. I think I have just severely damaged my spine and I should probably go see a good doctor, chiropractor, or licensed massage therapist like some other comments have suggested. To quote episode 7 of HBO's hit limited series, "Sharp Objects", "Your health is not a debt you just cancel. The body collects."
- oarsinsync 8y ago
  Can't speak for everyone else downvoting the above, but after seeing a chiropractor for an hour a week for 12 weeks, getting poked, prodded, pressed and acupunctured each session for up to an hour, I felt significantly better. A couple of years later, I saw a licensed massage therapist who after looking at my back for a minute, diagnosed exactly what had been wrong with me previously (my spine had become somewhat crooked, almost S shaped) and that it was visible that I'd had successful treatment to correct it.
- peteridah 8y ago
  I second this, I have no idea why it's been downvoted.
  - tomhoward 8y ago
    I probably understand both sides of the debate over chiropractic better than most, so I'll try to answer. Chiropractic has become highly controversial for two main reasons. The first is that it claims its treatments (muscular-skeletal adjustments) can bring about healing of a wide array of illnesses in the body beyond just back pain. The basis of the claim is that by straightening the muscular-skeletal structure, they remove blockages in blood vessels and nerves, and the resulting improvement in blood flow and nerve signalling leads to improvements in organ function, immunity, tissue healing/growth, cognition, etc. The second is that one of its major treatments, the vigorous "neck-cracking" adjustment of the cervical spine, can occasionally cause a rupture to the main artery to the brain, leading to haemorrhage that can result in severe disability or mortality. Skeptics will argue that it's impossible that muscular-skeletal adjustments can heal other illnesses in the body. I gather some of them will dispute that muscular-skeletal misalignments can cause significant blockages in nerves and blood vessels, whereas others will deny that removing said blockages can lead to other health improvements. For what its worth, it seems the linked article lends some credence to the notion that muscular-skeletal alignment can influence other aspects of a person's health. Regarding the neck adjustment risk issue: opponents of chiro will concede that ruptures are very infrequent (estimates vary from once per several hundred thousand adjustments, to once per a few millon), but conclude that given the absence of benefits, it's not a risk worth taking. My own experience with chiro is mixed. I have used it a lot in the past, and I no longer do. I do believe that in some cases, serious misalignments in the muscular-skeletal system can cause nerve and blood-vessel blockages and lead to other impairments in the body. However I haven't found chiro to be the best way to relieve the pain or misalignments I'd been carrying; I've recently had better success with osteopathy and myotherapy (a form of massage focusing on the myofascial system). I have found some chiropractors (more than half those I've seen) to be over-confident about the benefits of their treatments. But then a handful of chiropractors (practitioners of a particular mind+body healing technique) have been the most valuable practitioners I've seen, of any kind. I have had neck adjustments and never had a problem, but I wouldn't encourage others to do it or allow it do be done to my children, and these days I avoid having it done, preferring to focus on relieving muscle tension through myotherapy.
tboughen 8y ago
As a teacher I used to spend about 6 hours a day sitting at a desk, and was having progressively worse lower back issues. 6 years ago I got a standing desk, which improved things quite a lot but only to a point. 3 months ago I started a body weight program, and this has done wonders for my lower back. There is still work to do, but the improvement has been consistent. I’m looking forward to how it (and me generally) will feel in a year!
h4b4n3r0 8y ago
You need to do compound exercises with a barbell, namely low back squat and deadlift. These target the so called posterior chain, which is all those crucial muscles you don’t see in the mirror. Mindlessly “working out” is not going to target all that to a sufficient extent. I was where you are now, started lifting and my back pain was completely gone within 2 months. I have been totally free of back pain for over 5 years now, going from not being able to lift a 60lbs barbell without pain to deadlifting 500lbs.
- abledon 8y ago
  This! I didn’t lift for a while thinking it was just for meatheads etc. did lots of hiking / yoga but that stuff just doesn’t add the right muscles to your arms / hands . ESP grip strength to prevent rsi
  - h4b4n3r0 8y ago
    Can confirm, suffered from RSI as well. I think most doctors are unaware of the benefits. If they were, they wouldn’t prescribe the bullshit they’re currently prescribing. I’m not saying this will help everybody, but it’s 100% worth a try before trying anything more “medical”.
- jondwillis 8y ago
  So the full backstory is that I injured my back when I was 20, playing tennis barefoot of all things. My doctor just gave me muscle relaxers and told me to stretch more, which I of course did not do. Since then, I have re-injured my lower back three or four times, doing deadlifts and squats (incorrectly, I guess, not through lack of trying though.) Since my last injury, I have lowered weight, focused on form even more, and started doing Yoga for better core strength and flexibility. It is slowly helping and I haven't re-injured myself for over a year. I think I have just severely damaged my spine and I should probably go see a good doctor, chiropractor, or licensed massage therapist like some other comments have suggested. To quote episode 7 of HBO's hit limited series, "Sharp Objects", "Your health is not a debt you just cancel. The body collects."
  - 8y ago
HeadsUpHigh 8y ago
Exercising can help fix some postural issues but depending on where you start from( i.e. how bad your posture actually is) you probably need to do a lot more targeted stuff than just exercising. You can visit a pt to help you but if you aren't convinced you should check this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-7ZWPCWv0U& https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-7ZWPCWv0U& I had rounded shoulders and anterior pelvic tilt myself due to lack of exercising and too much desk work but not as much as the guy on the thumbnail. I just exercised for about a year and my posture fixed itself but I started from a better starting point with no actual pain. Btw if you decide to do some research yourself about the issues you have, don't just follow the first video you watch but instead spend some time learning the subject. There are plenty of different issues people have that require different treatments( hence an entire profession being based around fixing them).

sundvor 8y ago

I read the GP as highly sarcastic, ie "water is wet - news at 5".