What you do most of your day is key to preventing injuries during leisure time. For instance, working in an office or from home where you sit all day can increase your risk of injury while enjoying your recreational activities. Your body is not biomechanically designed to be sedentary for five or more hours each day. Sitting for long periods like that can actually inactivate your core muscles, which are responsible for supporting the back. Over time those deconditioned muscles can no longer support and protect your spine as they were designed to do.

So for all you weekend warriors out there — be vigilantly aware of your body positioning throughout the day. For example, notice where your head is in relation to the rest of your body. Your head should be a natural extension of your back. Specifically, when looking at you from the side, your ear should line up with your shoulder and your shoulder over your hips. In this neutral position, your head weighs about 10-pounds. For every inch forward your head moves, an added 10-pounds of pressure are placed on the spine. By the end of the workday, many of you are feeling the effects of 30+ pounds of force being placed on muscles, tendons and joints that were only designed to hold 10-pounds.

Week after week, that wear and tear adds up. If you can relate to headaches and neck pain from extended periods of sitting, don’t lose hope. There are specific exercises that we can teach you to help restore balance to your musculo-skeletal system. Additionally, the experts at Proactive Chiropractic PLLC would be happy to suggest ways in which you can set up your desk so that your neck can relax while you work. Be mindful that maintaining a non-neutral position throughout the workday can contribute to injury when participating in the summer time activities that you enjoy.

Disclaimer: This newsletter is intended to provide our readers with timely and accurate information. It is not intended to give personal medical advise, which should be obtained directly from a physician.  Acting on any information provided without first consulting a physician is solely at the readers risk.