Let’s get into answering today’s question of whether or not standing desks are the way to go…
What we know is that a sedentary lifestyle is harmful to our spines, as well as our overall health. Physical inactivity is linked to high morbidity and mortality. In other words, if you’re in better shape, you’re likely to live longer!
So, how does this relate to sitting… Most of the research (which is limited) says there is a correrlation not causation to the negative effects of sitting. These are not reversed by exercise, because the metabolic changes and subsequent negative effects induced by sitting simply aren’t reversed by being active.
We’ve all noticed how sitting for a prolonged period of time hurts your back… Simply because the pressure on your lower back is increased when seated in comparison to standing. It would be a logical solution to stand instead of sitting standing right? In 2013, Buckley and colleagues demonstrated that blood sugar levels vary less after eating a meal if you’re standing. However, Bailey At L in 2015 had conflicting data, suggesting that standing did not alter post-prandial glycaemic variation but short bouts of light intensity did.
It’s been demonstrated that standing, expends more energy than sitting, there are no surprises there! Several researchers confirm that activity associated with standing desks shows a reduction of low back pain and improvements in cholesterol. However, other researchers suggested that the increased physical activity while using a standing desk was offset by a decrease in physical activity away from the desk.
Ultimately standing desks are not good or bad for you… When speaking to the majority of our patients in the clinic who use a standing desk, or have in the past, they believe the benefits far outweigh the cons. One thing that most researchers agree on is that standing desks with treadmills in the workplace have the most significant improvements in glucose cholesterol and fat loss.
With all this information that’s contradictory to each other, I guess the big question is whether a standing desk is good or bad. Most of the data says that any form of inactivity whether standing or sitting will result in negative health implications. I can 100% say that a sedentary lifestyle is not good for you.
Bodies and spines are designed to move. Not stay still.
The most important principle is to move regularly, some suggested every 20 minutes as a good measure, not the 45 minutes that we were told decades ago. You should be walking, moving, or stretching between sitting and standing throughout your day.
A common mistake I see when shifting from sitting to standing is the computer screen being in a different position. When the computer screen is below your eye level neck pain is caused so, if you do have a sit-stand desk, make sure that the centre of your computer screen is at eye level. Regardless of sitting or standing.
I hope this gave you some insight into whether or not a standing desk could be the right option for you.