TV is bad for your back
Researchers from the University of Queensland found that the support muscles of the men who spent eight weeks in bed were inactivated in a very similar way to those of lower-back pain patients.
Using magnetic resonance imaging, they showed that after eight weeks the muscles that support the vertebrae had wasted and become inactive.
“This is the first study to show that these muscles that protect your spine are switched off,” said Julie Hides, one of the researchers.
She said slumping in front of the television or computer could have exactly the same effect.
The researchers also found that switching these muscles back on is not simply a matter of getting up and walking around.
Some of the volunteers have been monitored for six months and their back muscles have still to recover, despite exercise.
It’s important to pay attention to your posture when you’re relaxing at home and to get up and move around from time to time.
Read more about back pain and back exercises.
Sciatica & Back Pain News