Standing desks – good or bad?

Standing desks are becoming an alternative in some offices to help avoid back problems caused by sitting for long hours.

How much time do you spend slouched in front of your desktop or laptop? While all the hours you spend at work might get you a promotion or raise, all the sitting is ruining your health, especially your back. Standing desks are becoming an alternative in some offices to help avoid back problems caused by sitting for long hours. Beware! Sitting for long hours can lead to heart disease.

We spoke to Dr. Suraj Bafna, Spine Specialist, Qi Spine Clinic, to find out whether a standing desk is good for you or not.

Are standing desks good for our health?

Yes, they are, and here s why:

It s healthier for your neck, back and spine: There are two types of standing desks -- a flat one and an inclined desk. In India, flat desks are most commonly used. But as per a study I conducted, inclined desks are far better than flat desks. When a desk is flat, your upper body is leaning over the desk while working and you tend to slouch. The angle at which you bend affects the pressure on your neck. With every degree that you bend forward, the amount of weight you feel on the neck increases by 19 kilograms, which exerts immense pressure on the muscles of your neck. But once you incline the desk by ten degrees, you have to straighten up to work on it. This position is better for a person s neck.

It helps maintain healthy neck muscles: When you work on a sitting desk, the muscles in your neck are in a constant flexion (forward bending position), which reduces blood circulation in those muscles. Apart from that, the muscles in the front of your neck shorten, and those at the back get lengthened. A standing-inclined desk, which is well designed eliminates this completely.

Sitting desks affect your muscles adversely: A major factor that makes sitting desks bad for you is that they lead to the tightening of the muscles in your back, shoulders and neck. Here are some exercises for strengthening the back.

Sitting makes you more lethargic: When a person sits and works on a laptop or desktop they tend to remain in the same posture for hours on end. Standing desks do away with that. Not only will the person be forced to change their position at frequent intervals, but they will naturally feel the need to sit down for a few minutes. So standing desks are a better choice to avoid the ill effects of sitting for long hours. 5 ways bad posture can make you unhealthy.

How does standing for many hours affect our bodies?

Our studies show that the pressure on a person s spine, when he/she is standing versus when they are sitting, is different. There is more pressure when a person is sitting, especially in a slouched posture, than when he is standing. But yes, standing can have its downsides. Therefore, switching positions and changing your posture ever so often is the best way to beat any ill-effects of standing desks.

What is the best way to switch to a standing desk?

• Use an inclined desk.
• Ensure that the lower edge of the bent desk is level with the elbow. Nothing higher or lower than that.
• Use a footrest below to allow the person to rest his/her foot on it and shift his/her weight.
• Keep the top of the laptop or desktop screen at eye level. Anything lower than this will make the person to slouch or bend their neck excessively.
• Wear shoes that have a soft sole with little or no heel, especially in the case of women, as they have a deeper curve in their lower back. This curve gets deepened if they wear improper footwear (known as standing in extension), which strains the structure of the spine, causing pain and discomfort.

Who should not use these desks?

People who already suffer from back pain should avoid it or be very cautious while using it.

Those with a weak back and core muscles should avoid this kind of desk as it can lead to back pain. Your back and core muscles hold your body upright, and they must be strong enough to cope with the strain of standing for a long time.

People who are obese, especially with central obesity (around their belly), should avoid this kind of desk because the load on their back is far greater than their leaner counterparts.

How much is too much?

Everybody s body is different and their ability to sustain a posture differs. Ideally, one should take breaks every half an hour because your vertebral discs get their nutrition when you are moving, which is missing when you sustain a posture. So simply walking around will help nourish the discs and keep problems away.

You may also like to read:

• Don t sit at one spot, take breaks to stretch or to run on the spot at work
• Sitting for long hours adds extra fat on the hips

Photo source: www.workwhilewalking.com

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