Most of us spend long hours in a sitting position every day, which can lead to pain, especially in the back. Discover the advice of Christophe Carrio, sports coach, to relieve these tensions.
Back pain can have many causes. Most often it is linked to musculoskeletal problems, a prolonged sitting position, a lack of exercise, bad postures at work … in his book A painless bodyChristophe Carrio, former world champion of artistic karate, provides advice to remedy – among others – to these problems.
The consequences of the sitting position
Currently, apart from hours of sleep, we spend as much time, or even more, sitting than standing. “The big problem, said Christophe Carrio, is that sitting position is an inadequate position for the body and particularly for our spine. The sitting position is particularly harmful for the entire joint and muscle system. »»
The long seated stations cause significant pressure on vertebral discs and lead, over the years, to a profound modification of the balance of muscle tensions in the body. They force certain muscles (such as paravertebral) to work twice as much, while gravity causes our shoulders forward, which shorten the muscles of the chest and inhibits the muscles of the upper back. Finally, the sitting position modifies the way the body works. “All these changes decrease our ability to move properlysaid Christophe Carrio. The less we move and the more the joints annoyed. »»
Read: Nine supplements or plants to be tested against back pain (subscribers)
But for him, “No sitting position is fundamentally good or bad. What is bad is static maintenance with isometric muscular contractions (static) even very light and prolonged. The important thing is to avoid keeping the same sitting position for a long time (more than 30 minutes) by changing frequently. »»
Movements to limit back pain
To thwart the harmful effects of the sitting position, Christophe Carrio offers simple articular mobilization exercises, which are aimed at people who work all day sitting. These exercises, proposed in the form of sequences (or “circuits”), must be carried out during the day, for 1 to 5 min.
Here is an example of a circuit that will only take you 2 min and that you can make several times during the day:
1. Standing, gently mobilize the head from right to left 6 times, then from top to bottom 6 times, then by tilting it laterally from right to left 6 times.
2. Position your fists in the lower back and mobilize your elbows back 6 times. Go by making rear circles with your shoulders 6 times, the palms of hand turned forward, the thumbs outwards. Listly tilt yourself, keeping the whole body in the axis 6 times (3 on each side).
3. Swiven your hips by trying to grow 3 times in one direction and 3 times in the other.
4. Flex your knees keeping the lower back slightly arched then rotate your knees 3 times in one direction and 3 times in the other.
In his book, Christophe Carrio also gives examples of simple self-massage to make to relieve and prevent pain.
