For those of us who’ve experienced back pain, we know that there’s very little else that is as uncomfortable, inconvenient, and straight up painful.
It is estimated that around 25% of all Americans experience some type of back pain every year. (1)
Next to high blood pressure and diabetes, back pain is the number one reason for doctor’s appointments.
Unfortunately, home remedies for back pain are often overlooked in favor of pharmaceutical intervention (pain pills) and invasive procedures.
According to Dr. James Levine, Director of the Mayo Clinic-Arizona state University Obesity Solutions Initiative, “Sitting is the new smoking”. (2)
Researchers have proven that the computer-centered sedentary lifestyle most Americans lead is beyond unhealthy – it’s deadly. “Sitting more dangerous than smoking, kills more people than HIV, and is more treacherous than parachuting” Levine continues “We are sitting ourselves to death.” (3)
Back problems are arguably the most common side effect of a sedentary lifestyle – but it is important to remember that correlation is not necessarily causation.
There is a relationship between sitting and mild back pain in the short term, but other factors contribute to chronic back pain.
Individuals who spend most of their time sitting tend to be less active, weigh more, and have more general health problems. (4)