more important research

[Guest guest]

....from an unconfirmed source:

J. Pedersen DC

'Just trying to keep up'......

It seems that sitting up straight,

something many of us are taught from a very early age, is not good for

your back, say researchers from Scotland and Canada. They found that

sitting up straight strains your back unnecessarily. Ideally, you

should lean slightly back, at an angle of about 135 degrees, they say.

The

researchers, at Woodend Hospital, Aberdeen, Scotland, used a novel form

of MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) on 22 healthy volunteers to

identify which positions are best, and which are worst, for our backs.

The Positional MRI Machine allows the patient to move around during the

examination.

The volunteers were asked to

sit in three different positions:

1. Slouching. The person

hunches forward, with feet touching the floor.

2. Upright, at 90 degrees, with feet touching the floor.

3. Relaxed, reclined backwards at 135 degrees, with feet touching the

floor.

Measurements

of spinal angles, spinal disk height, and movements were taken. When

undue strain is placed on a disk, it moves - often out of place. The

researchers found that the upright position, at 90 degrees, caused

disks to move the most, while the relaxed position (135 degrees) caused

disks to move the least. In other words, the upright position is the

worst for the back, while the relaxed position is the best.

Study

leader, Dr. Waseem Bashir, University of Alberta Hospital, Canada, said

"Sitting in a sound anatomic position is essential, since the strain

put on the spine and its associated ligaments over time can lead to

pain, deformity and chronic illness."

The study was presented at the

Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

"The

Way You Sit Will Never Be the Same! Alterations of Lumbosacral

Curvature and Intervertebral Disc Morphology in Normal Subjects in

Variable Sitting Positions Using Whole-body Positional MRI

Waseem Bashir MBChB, Tetsuya Torio MD, Francis MD, Keisuke

Takahashi, Malcolm Pope PhD

Click here to view abstract online

Comment by Editor of Medical

News Today

Many

of us spend hours each day sitting down. I am in front of a computer

screen for about ten-to-twelve hours a day. This study will completely

change the way I try to position myself on my chair - I used to think

sitting-up straight was the best. I always walk about when I am on the

phone - I have been doing this for about two years and have found that

the extra body movement is not only good for my back and general

health, but also for my mental well being. Every hour I force myself to

get up and walk about for a few minutes, no matter how important the

work at hand is.

Written by: Christian Nordqvist

Editor: Medical News Today