With fifteen years of experience as a spine physician, Dr. Sanjiv Lakhia is always on the lookout for ways to help his patients improve their back health, particularly with natural, less invasive methods that can be easily integrated into their day-to-day lives. Today, we’re going to be discussing a common cause of back and neck pain, prolonged periods of sitting.

Joining us on this episode of Back Talk Doc is Dr. Turner Osler, a retired trauma surgeon, epidemiologist, entrepreneur, and founder of QOR360, a company designing chairs to improve posture and prevent back pain caused by conventional sitting.

Dr. Osler explains “Sitting Disease” and explores the negative affects sitting prolonged periods of sitting have on the body. “We think all the chairs that we have are normal, and they are not. Humans are not designed to sit all day… We're simply not set up to sit slumped in front of a PC all day.” (6:37 ) Many issues like headaches, neck and back pain, weight gain, and even mood disorders can be traced back to incorrect posture while sitting. Dr. Osler discusses the natural human posture (10:05 ) and how we have been letting our chairs shape our bodies, instead of shaping our chairs to fit our bodies. (11:34 ) 

Dr. Osler then discusses the benefits of “active sitting” (a sitting experience that allows and/or encourages movement while seated), including reducing back pain and improving posture. (21:23 )

Other topics discussed include negative effects of sitting in a slumped posture (14:03 ), contraindications for using an active sitting chair, (35:11 ) and a word of caution for those with lumbar disk herniations or acute back pain. (38:51 )

Links and Resources

To learn more about Dr. Osler’s mission of educating the community about the benefits of active sitting, visit QOR360.com and ButtOnChairs.org, which promotes active sitting for children.

View Dr. Osler’s TED Talk.

The Gokhale Method: a system of healthy posture and movement to help restore your structural integrity, so you can live an active and pain-free life.

For more information on Dr. Sanjiv Lakhia and Back Talk Doc visit BackTalkDoc.com.

Back Talk Doc is brought to you by Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates, with offices in North and South Carolina. To learn more about Dr. Lakhia and treatment options for back and spine issues, go to backtalkdoc.com. To schedule an appointment with Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates, you can call us at 1-800-344-6716 or visit our website at carolinaneurosurgery.com.