A Guide to Combating Stiffness
(Focusing on your perceived tightness alone is not enough)
Written by Dr. Diana Reiss, DPT, OCS
This is not so much about posture as it is about addressing our weaknesses. Let me suggest to you that staying in one position, whether standing or sitting for too long, can lead to reports of chronic pain, discomfort, stiffness, and overall poor overall health. By the time the weekend arrives, you are too tight/stiff and too tired to participate in your favorite activity, and even when you try, you then end up injured. Let’s changed that, keep reading.
If you are sedentary at your workplace, and you feel tightness or pain, your instinct is likely to stretch. Regardless of if you have been sitting for hours or standing in one place. What if I told you that research shows you are going to feel better and get better results by addressing the muscle with strengthening and dynamic movements. Focusing on your perceived tightness alone is not enough. Strengthening will address the muscle fibers and will improve muscle length differences and reduce the unnecessary overloading. Stretching may result in more pain/discomfort therefore being the wrong approach to achieve the goal of feeling more mobility and less tightness.
Where to start? If sitting is going to be your main position, then the most important tool to combat a sedentary work environment is to make sure you are being an active sitter. This means you are not slumped into your chair with your legs extended and feet off the floor. Instead, you are sitting with your feet planted on the ground, forward in the chair, with your core engaged. Set a reminder to check if you are sitting actively or have returned to leaning back into the chair. Set a timer on your phone or computer to remind you to stand up each hour. During this break move and perform 2-3 light exercises that encourage movement and specific strengthening. You do not need to spend tons of money on tools, you can benefit more from knowing what exercises to do and how to do them properly. The basics such as a mat, resistance bands, foam rollers and free weights are a bonus and can further your exercise routine.
Make your exercises count by knowing which will benefit you most, and by learning how to perform them correctly. Take daily walks. Work on your breathing and set aside time at least 4 days a week to perform a home exercise program. See a physical therapist for a comprehensive plan basedon your individual impairments and your functional goals.
Add both active movement and light exercises routines into your workday to help maintain your strength and mobility, and change positions throughout the day to maintain a healthy cardiovascular system. I explain posture to my patients as dynamics. Two often quoted phrases in physiotherapy include “movement is medicine,” and “your best posture, is your next posture.”
Keep moving! And follow me @reisspt on Instagram for more tips
8/10/2023
