Why does sitting for long periods of time increase back pain
sometimes? This question has been studied for the past 50 years
and researchers still find controversy when trying to answer the
question. At the heart of the dilemma is a mechanical dynamic
between body weight, body posture, and spinal disc load. A
loading, compressive force on a spinal disc creates a certain
amount of pressure within the disc which is like a marshmallow
in between two graham crackers being squished together. This
pressure can be measured with special devices inserted into the
disc. With various body positions like lying down, sitting,
standing and bending forward, the pressure amounts vary and were
first reported in the landmark study performed by Dr. Nachemson
in 1981. In this study, he found that sitting produced higher
pressures in the spinal disc than standing. So, for the past
thirty years, clinicians have told patients with degenerative
disc related back pain to avoid prolong sitting because high
pressures lead to more disc