A team of researchers from Deakin\u2019s Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN) have found no association between prolonged sitting and lower back pain despite widely shared opinions. <\/p>\n
The surprising revelation is the result of three decades worth of data collection from more than one million subjects, with the IPAN group sorting through 41 systemic reviews in a bid to understand what movements or tasks could pose risks for back pain.<\/p>\n
The \u201cmega-study\u201d has provided \u201cthe most\u201d comprehensive analysis of the correlation between certain activities and back pain.<\/p>\n
IPAN Associate Professor of exercise and musculoskeletal health Daniel Belavy said although there\u2019s a growing body of evidence linking sitting to other negative health effects, inactivity while sitting does not appear to be a risk factor for back pain. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhile you may get muscle tightness when you sit for a long time, sitting itself doesn’t actually damage the spinal structures directly,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
On the flip side, heavy physical work and lifting were associated with back pain in the review, however it\u2019s still not clear that they could cause it. <\/p>\n
\u201cBoth of those things might sound the same, but it\u2019s one thing to find an \u2018association\u2019 and quite another thing to prove \u2018causality\u2019,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s important we keep working to better understand the mechanisms behind lower back pain.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor those under 50, back pain causes the greatest loss of productivity of all diseases in Australia, and 16 per cent of Australians will develop persistent back pain at some point in their life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Associate Professor Belavy said while it was good news sitting time didn\u2019t seem to be an issue for back pain, he discouraged long bouts of sitting.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom other work, we know that general physical activity is important for reducing the risk of back pain,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd we know from other research conducted within IPAN and elsewhere that reducing time spent sitting lowers the risks of other chronic conditions. So those in office jobs shouldn\u2019t get too comfortable at their desks just yet.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A team of researchers from Deakin\u2019s Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN) have found no association between prolonged sitting and lower back pain despite widely shared opinions. The surprising revelation is the result of three decades worth of data collection from more than one million subjects, with the IPAN group sorting through 41 systemic […]<\/p>\n