Guest Post: How Disuse Syndrome Determines Our Health
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Author Bio:
Dr. Bae is
changing the way spinal surgery is done. He is currently pioneering a study on
the use of stem cells for spinal restoration, and is one of only five doctors
to receive a significant grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
With a Spine
Institute physician on your side, pain
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We normally sit to eat dinner, watch television, drive our cars, write
our articles, do work, and relax. Research has proven how sitting for prolonged
periods of time is detrimental to our health. However, one might not realize
just how extensively a sedentary lifestyle affects them until they are
diagnosed with something called Disuse Syndrome.
Disuse Syndrome is associated
with the negative consequences that occur to the body and mind during prolonged
periods of inactivity. The body and mind begin to deteriorate when they are not
used.
The harmful effects of a
sedentary lifestyle are as follows:
1. Physical health. Occurring
throughout the body, inactivity causes havoc to nearly every internal system
including the skeletal, cardiovascular, endocrine, and muscular systems. To not
move means to increase the chance of getting osteoporosis and elevating
systolic blood pressure. Muscles atrophy when in disuse, and since the heart is
a muscle, it too gets weak without appropriate amounts of exercise. Therefore,
the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases also increases
exponentially.
2. Mental health. It should not be
surprising that a body in motion is a mind in motion, but for many, the
psycho-somatic association is not immediately realized. Inactivity leads to the
development of serious mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, and dementia.
3. Decreased metabolism. A sedentary
lifestyle has been linked to the onset of diabetes. Additionally, inactivity
leads to a lower percentage of calories burned. If the cardiovascular system
has slowed and muscles are not metabolizing energy through work, the body loses
its ability to process blood glucose and insulin.
4. Decreased flexibility. After sitting
for hours at the computer, one may notice a tightness in neck, shoulders, and
spine. Movement does a number of things, like lubricating the joints in
synovial fluid, pumping blood to oxygenate the muscles, and strengthening the
sections of the body that get weaker when sitting (like the abdominals and
glutes). A lack of flexibility in these regions invites pain and inflammation.
Disuse syndrome, and the pain
that comes from it, can be treated naturally. There are steps you can take
today to offset inactivity and avoid chronic neck, back, and spine pain. The
first is getting up from you chair or the sofa. Get moving. No matter your age
or fitness level, if you increase your physical activity by 30 minutes daily,
you can ward off metabolic issues, increase blood flow, strengthen your heart,
and build stronger bones. If you are in an office, stand up at your desk. Take
the stairs, not the elevator. Do yoga poses or calisthenics.
References used:
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