Experts have been talking for quite some time about a new widespread condition: back problems caused by too much sitting. In the meantime, the topic has made its way from specialist journals into mainstream media. For example, the comedian, TV presenter and doctor Eckart von Hirschhausen recently stated in “Gala” that he considers sitting to be the new smoking. A book of the same name, written by Dr Kelly Starrett, is becoming a bestseller, while a study by the Mayo Clinic at Arizona State University found that every hour spent sitting reduces life expectancy by 22 minutes. In short: awareness of healthy working posture is increasing – and at the same time, manufacturers of height-adjustable desks are seeing rising demand. In fact, this furniture can help save harmful hours of sitting.
- A life spent sitting down
- The effects on the body
- Many possible solutions
- More movement plus less sitting equals a solution
- The evolution from the classic desk to the standing desk
- How does a standing desk work?
- A step on the path to healthy working
When comparing different studies, it becomes clear that the popular slogan “Sitting is the new smoking” is not actually true. It should really say “Sitting is more dangerous than smoking” – if that did not risk trivialising tobacco consumption. However, when it comes to the effects on life expectancy, it is true: according to one study, every cigarette shortens life by eleven minutes, whereas one hour of sitting now cuts life by 22 minutes. So should you simply smoke two fewer cigarettes per working hour and you have done enough for your health? It is not quite that simple.
A life spent sitting down
Around 17 million people in Germany spend their working day sitting on an office chair. That is the finding of a recent study by the Allgemeine Ortskrankenkassen (AOK). Then there are jobs that may not involve a desk, but still involve sitting: drivers in freight transport or passenger services know the problem just as well as specialists in retail. There are also numerous skilled trades in which the computer is playing an increasingly important role and the focus of work is steadily shifting from the workbench to the desk. According to the AOK, the number of these “serial sitters” runs into several million – not even counting students, apprentices and schoolchildren.
To put it briefly: prolonged sitting, and the negative effects that come with it, definitely affect a large part of the German population. To get an idea of the scale of the problem, most people only need to take a critical look at their typical working day. In doing so, most will realise that they do not just sit at work, at university or behind the wheel – they also spend a large part of their free time sitting down.
The following hypothetical example is therefore likely to feel very familiar to many Germans: after a shower comes breakfast at the table, the daily newspaper in an armchair, and the journey to work in the driver’s seat or a train carriage. So even before the working day begins, the kilometres walked can usually be counted on one hand. After the long hours of sitting in the office comes the journey home sitting down, then dinner or an evening film on the sofa, at the computer or with a tablet on the couch.
Even over the course of a whole life, we spend it sitting: while movement is still encouraged and actively demanded in nursery school, from the first day of school onwards children are largely condemned to sit still, right up to their final report card. Apprenticeships and university studies also mainly take place on chairs, just like the working life that follows. By the time retirement begins, there would theoretically be time and space for movement again, but by then the damage is usually already done.
The effects on the body
Scientists and occupational health experts agree: there is hardly anything worse we can do to our bodies than sit for long periods. Quite apart from the fact that the body is originally designed for constant movement and sitting is an enforced posture, it is also possible to sit incorrectly: if things get complicated at work, for example, many people fall into a hunched, rigid and tense position in which the skeletal muscles have to perform extremely strenuous holding work.
Even when the worst is over, the stressful part is done and it is time to relax, the body is by no means less busy: in a sitting posture that most people find comfortable, the abdominal muscles, for example, become slack. Since they play a major role in supporting the skeleton, this can lead over time to what is known as a rounded back, which in turn is bad for the intervertebral discs. The intervertebral discs – essentially small shock absorbers between the individual vertebrae of the spine – retain their flexibility through constant movement. Like a sponge, they absorb nutrients in the process. Anyone who does not move their back for several hours a day causes the discs to dry out in places. One consequence of this is what is known as a slipped disc.
Current statistics show that back pain can occur even without a slipped disc. In Germany, back problems are currently among the leading causes of sickness-related absence from work. Most of these cases, however, are not damage to the skeleton or musculoskeletal system, but are due to tight or stiff muscles and their painful symptoms.
Regular prolonged sitting also puts strain on the organs. Two examples: because circulation and metabolism go into “standby” mode when sitting, diabetes and cardiovascular disease may develop over time. Bent knees and hips make it harder for the blood to return to the heart. As a result, vein problems can occur.
Many possible solutions
Of course, very few people can give up their office job for the sake of their back, and there is nothing wrong with a cosy evening on the sofa either – as long as there is enough balance. It would already help if, before or after a working day, the body were used for the purpose it was originally made for. In this context, experts often recommend the following rule of thumb: five minutes of conscious movement for every hour spent sitting, and the damage counter goes back to zero.
In individual cases, the amount may need to be adjusted. But if, for example, you do a good 45 minutes of exercise after a day at work, you are already doing the right thing. Another rule of thumb that can be applied throughout the day is not only good for your back, but also helps prevent virtually all chronic illnesses: the 10,000-step rule. Anyone who takes 10,000 steps over the course of the day – no matter where – is doing their circulation, back and organs a favour. And it is not just the walk, the hike or the jog around the block that counts, but literally every step taken within 24 hours.
More movement and less sitting is the solution
Exercise or compensatory movement is therefore important. Better still, however, would be not to sit so much in the first place that it becomes a problem. This goal can be achieved in various ways: for example, you could make small adjustments to your everyday routine. If the weather is good, it may be worth skipping the underground and cycling to work instead. For short distances, a brisk walk is recommended, as it boosts the metabolism and gets oxygen into the blood. The lift in the office building or apartment block may be convenient, but the stairwell is a free training facility available every day.
There are also plenty of ways to break up constant sitting in the office. A short meeting with colleagues can easily take place while walking, the coffee break does not necessarily have to happen at the coffee table, and the printer could be placed so that every printout adds a few more steps to the counter. The ultimate way to reduce sitting, however, would be a desk where sitting is not essential.
The evolution from the classic desk to the standing desk
It may well be that in earlier times people already suspected that sitting was not all benefits. But it may also be that people simply did not like sitting in general. In pictures of offices from the Wilhelminian era, one curious piece of furniture keeps appearing that is virtually unheard of in modern offices: the lectern desk. To avoid having to hold heavy tomes while reading, people liked to have a standing desk, especially in prestigious offices or reading rooms, where it was mainly used for reading and simple writing tasks.
Over the years it disappeared, only occasionally finding its way back into workplaces in a modern version as a reading lectern, mainly for those who had already experienced the unpleasant consequences of sitting. Or for those who simply appreciate a place where they can work while standing. A further development of this is now beginning to become the new standard in modern offices, certainly in connection with the rising number of people with back problems: the standing desk.
From the “corner office” on the executive floor to the open-plan office, these infinitely adjustable all-rounders are highly valued – after all, they offer the option of alternating between sitting and standing.
How does a standing desk work?
The key is variety. It stands to reason: replacing one static posture with another does little good. The real advantage that a standing desk – or, more correctly, a height-adjustable desk – offers is that long periods of sitting can be interrupted at virtually any time. There is no need for a second piece of furniture; a simple button on an otherwise conventional-looking desk is enough: at the touch of a button, the work surface is raised.
The design of an electrically height-adjustable desk is actually quite simple: the desktop is supported by two columns, whose bases are sufficiently sturdy, for example in the form of a C-foot. Inside the columns are two electric motors controlled via an operating panel. They allow the desktop, together with the equipment on it, to be raised and lowered, and most models come with a safety system, a so-called anti-collision system. It is designed to prevent fingers, cables or objects from being trapped.
Cable trays integrated into the desk enable neat cable management so that the monitor or computer does not fall off the desk when the desktop is raised. Depending on the version, different heights can also be programmed and selected at the touch of a button. The advantages of such a versatile piece of furniture: in the best-case scenario, work does not even have to be interrupted when switching between sitting and standing. While some people find it more comfortable to make their phone calls standing up, for example, but prefer to complete the call log afterwards while seated, they can keep their workflow going.
A “Swopper” can also help here, a kind of sprung stool that is also available in a height-adjustable version. When seated, this seat, not unlike a joystick, enables dynamic working. By pulling the adjustment lever, the stool seat rises to a height familiar from a bar stool. This makes it a practical addition to a standing desk and a good alternative to the classic office chair.
A step on the way to healthier working
The dose makes the poison: this rule of thumb applies just as much to sitting as it does to standing. Anyone who buys a standing desk and then spends entire working days upright right from the start will not be doing their body any great favours. What’s more, furniture like this does not remove the absolute need to do sport after work or at least get moving for an hour. A long walk, a jog or swim, or some time on a bike or treadmill still provide a sensible and healthy contrast to a working day in the office.
Anyone who has had a sedentary job for years in particular should be careful when starting to stand more. The same principles apply here as with exercise: increase the duration and number of repetitions gradually. In plain English: the risk of a so-called rounded back is reduced by regular alternation – not by swapping one extreme for another. So a degree of caution is advisable, but excessive reservations about this new way of working are unnecessary.
If you listen to your body, you’ll already be doing a lot right. If your lower back starts to complain or your knees begin to hurt, it’s time to raise the desktop. If, after a while, you start to feel tired, the soles of your feet ache, your neck hurts or your thighs begin to tingle, it’s time once again for a spell in a good old office chair.