It is often said that prolonged sitting can harm your waist, but many people do not understand why. Actually, this is closely related to the pressure on the spine.
When we are in different positions, the pressure on different parts of our spine varies. For example, when lying flat, the lumbar spine bears about 25% of body weight; if you turn to lie on your side, the pressure on the lumbar spine immediately increases to 75% of body weight; and when sitting, the lumbar spine bears 140% of body weight.
Even when sitting, different sitting positions exert different pressures on the lumbar spine. For instance, sitting upright already exerts considerable pressure on the lumbar discs; but if you lean back a bit and place a cushion behind your waist while sitting, the pressure will significantly reduce. However, if you prefer to lean forward while sitting, the pressure on your lumbar discs will sharply increase.
Additionally, bending over is another action that significantly increases the load on your lumbar spine. If you bend over to lift things, it is almost a “waist killer”; but if you change from bending over to lift things to squatting to lift things, the pressure on the lumbar spine will significantly reduce. Therefore, spine surgeons usually remind patients to avoid actions like bending over to pick up pens and instead squat to pick them up, as this small change can save your lumbar spine from much stress.
Clinically, intervertebral disc herniation is most common among middle-aged men aged 40-45. Prolonged sitting, obesity, and smoking are important factors.
Intervertebral disc disease brings not only pain and mobility issues to middle-aged men, but can also cause gastrointestinal symptoms or male-specific problems. Some men repeatedly seek medical attention for sexual dysfunction, only to find that the problem actually lies in the intervertebral disc – because the protruding disc can compress surrounding nerves, some of which may affect sexual function. If they receive proper orthopedic treatment to relieve the compression, these issues often disappear.