bust a move

“. . . every dark tunnel has a light of hope . . . So don't just stand [or worse, sit] there bust a move.”

- Young MC

Americans sit more now than ever before. Technology, working from home and a pandemic all fuel a sedentary lifestyle. Netflix automatically starts the next show for us, tempting us to stay seated. Our kitchen chair, comfy couch or bed have transformed into our home office. For many of us little bursts of movement like walking to the train, in the parking lot, during a lunch break or even to a colleague’s desk have vanished. While this seems like a welcome break from the routine, these factors result in more inactivity. We have long known inactivity contributes to poorer health and pain.

If there was a vitamin or pill to prevent you from developing chronic pain in the future, wouldn’t you start taking it now? That is what daily movement does for you. A study spanning more than a decade found people who exercised regularly had less chronic musculoskeletal pain and widespread pain. Think about that. Exercise prevents pain; it is protective. This is even more striking since chronic pain (reported as pain for greater than 3 months) is associated with a higher rate of cancer and death. Movement grows your lifespan and your healthspan. We know lack of movement such as prolonged sitting is a risk factor for low back pain. The more physically inactive a person, the more likely they have compressed lumbar discs, increased fat in their in spinal muscles, higher levels back pain and greater disability. Increased sitting times are associated with more chronic, ongoing inflammation including elevations in CRP and IL-6. Sitting and inactivity fuel ongoing pain and inflammation just like processed foods. A 2020 study found more time spent sitting correlated with more inflammatory diseases like heart disease, metabolic disease and diabetes. Prolonged sitting breeds pain and inflammation. Even worse, a 2020 Journal of the American Medical Association study found spending more time sitting is associated with a greater risk of dying from cancer. Inactivity and prolonged sitting worsen back pain, worsen musculoskeletal pain, increase pain, increase the risk of cancer and increase the risk of death. The antidote is movement. Our goal is to be active for at least 30 minutes a day and avoid prolonged sitting. We will delve into ways to add more daily movement in part 2 but for the time being, stand up and get moving!

“Now you know what to do G bust a move”

References

1. Holth HS, Werpen HK, Zwart JA, Hagen K. Physical inactivity is associated with chronic musculoskeletal complaints 11 years later: results from the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2008;9:159. Published 2008 Dec 1.

2. Andersson HI. The course of non-malignant chronic pain: a 12-year follow-up of a cohort from the general population. Eur J Pain. 2004;8(1):47-53.

3. McBeth J, Silman AJ, Macfarlane GJ. Association of widespread body pain with an increased risk of cancer and reduced cancer survival: a prospective, population-based study. Arthritis Rheum. 2003;48(6):1686-1692.

4. Teichtahl AJ, Urquhart DM, Wang Y, et al. Physical inactivity is associated with narrower lumbar intervertebral discs, high fat content of paraspinal muscles and low back pain and disability. Arthritis Res Ther. 2015;17(1):114.

5. Yates T, Khunti K, Wilmot EG, et al. Self-reported sitting time and markers of inflammation, insulin resistance, and adiposity. Am J Prev Med. 2012;42(1):1-7.

6. Koyama T, Kuriyama N, Ozaki E, et al. Sedentary Time is Associated with Cardiometabolic Diseases in A Large Japanese Population: A Cross-Sectional Study. J Atheroscler Thromb. 2020;10.5551/jat.54320.

7. Gilchrist SC, Howard VJ, Akinyemiju T, et al. Association of Sedentary Behavior With Cancer Mortality in Middle-aged and Older US Adults. JAMA Oncol. Published online June 18, 2020.

*This is not medical advice and is for educational purposes only.