By Rita Hancock
MD (Board-certified Pain Management Specialist)
I know how easy
it is to get carried away while writing—especially on a good day when the words
just flow out of you. You don’t even notice the time passing. Four or five
hours at your computer feels like only five minutes. But let me warn you about
the health consequences of your sedentary vocation, my friend. Sitting for long
periods can take its toll on your physical body.
One way in which
the writer’s lifestyle can affect you is through prolonged pressure on the
discs in your back. Because of the forces imposed on your spine in the sitting
position, a lot of pressure is placed on the front part
of your discs. As a result, your discs are inclined to pooch backward, leaving
you with a disc “bulge” (a small problem), “protrusion” (a medium problem), or
an “extrusion” (aka “herniation”—a big problem).
The problem with
your discs sticking out backwards is they tend to pooch into the areas through
which the spinal nerves run. Especially when you’re older, you tend to have
arthritis, bone spurs, and buckling spinal ligaments in your back, anyway.
Thus, when you combine those things (which also pooch into the spinal canal)
with your disc pooches from being sedentary, you can get some significantly
pinched nerves in your back.
The way to tell
if you have disc problems vs. other spinal issues is by trying to determine in
which position you feel worse. Does your pain increase in the sitting position?
Does it get worse when you cough or sneeze or when you strain during a bowel
movement? If so, you may have a disc problem. If all you had was arthritis in
your back (and no disc problems), it should get better not worse when you
sit.
If your doctor
determines that you have a disc problem, and if you’re a writer, you definitely
need to change your workstation. Talk with your doctor or physical therapist
about finding a chair that minimizes spinal flexion. And don’t slump as you
type! Try to keep your back straight, as though a broomstick is stuck up
against it!
Another good use
of your time is to engage in “A McKenzie Program.” It’s a series of spinal
extension exercises generally prescribed by your physical therapist and done
every two hours to take pressure off your discs. The nice thing about McKenzie
exercises is they remove the pressure from the front part of your discs and
place it on the back part of the disc. Doing this helps decrease your pain,
especially after prolonged sitting.
Disc issues can
be very serious and lead to significant pain problems and
sometimes-irreversible muscle weakness. That’s why it’s important for you to
stay ahead of the game. See your doctor if you have back pain and take care of
your back now so you don’t develop a disc problem later. Every chance you get,
snap out of your writer’s trance, stand up, and walk around for a while in the real world, where you
can’t just hit “backspace” to erase your herniated discs.
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For more
information about improving your health and about how you can combine your
healthy endeavors with your faith walk, visit Dr. Rita Hancock’s diet book, The Eden Diet. Her website www.TheEdenDiet.com Also, look for her new book, RadicalWell-being—A Biblical Guide to Overcoming Pain, Illness, and Addictions (Siloam,
January 8, 2013).Please like my new page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RadicalWellBeing
