Usually, our feet hurt from standing too long. But often, foot pain can be attributed to too much sitting.
Every day, people find their way to our office not because they want a massage for the pleasure of it but rather they are seeking relief and treatment for chronic low back pain. Oftentimes, their back pain gets worse after a long drive, flight, or after a ten-hour marathon in front of the computer. They are very hungry for our knowledge and needy of our healing hands.
As a sitting culture, our bodies have a lot to complain about. Only in the past century have our bodies had to spend more time sitting than shifting, reaching, bending, squatting, lifting, and resting. As our culture becomes more technologically advanced, we depend less and less on our bodies for everyday functions. They become those machines that get us from our bed to our car and our car to our next activity. You’ve heard this mantra before – “use it or lose it”. This applies to the body as a whole. Our bodies depend on movement for life.
It takes about two minutes to circulate blood through your body. Blood is a fluid that transports healthy nutrients and oxygen to the connective tissues of the body, those tissues that stiffen, ache, and pain after a long day sitting. Blood also transports irritating waste products away from the connective tissues so they can be removed from the body.
It takes joint and muscle movement for a healthy amount of “tissue wash” to take place in the body. Imagine rinsing out a filthy sponge. You squeeze the sponge, but it takes a few times to completely flush out the filth from the sponge. Your tissues are just like that. Every time you move your joints, they are flushed and infused with fresh nutrients, heat, and oxygen.
Take this lesson with you the next time you want to sit. Your body needs to get up. Give it some attention too!
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Hands On Health Massage Therapy And Wellness
7980 Chapel Hill Road, Ste 125
Cary NC 27513
919.854.9555