Thread: The danger of sitting

  1. #16
    Officially An Architect brewbuck's Avatar
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    So, my MRI results came back. I do have a massive herniation in L4-5, as well as "abnormal bone marrow signal." Which could be leukemia, but chances are it's something else. Today is going to be a long day...
    Code:
    //try
    //{
    	if (a) do { f( b); } while(1);
    	else   do { f(!b); } while(1);
    //}

  2. #17
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    bos1234: Stretching is good, but I would say taking a walk during a break is probably even better. A fast brisk walk that wakes up your legs and back.

    brewbuck: Sorry to hear that, after going through 2 surgeries myself recently, I wouldn't wish any type of surgery on anyone. Hope you don't have to have back surgery.

  3. #18
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    I retired in 2005 from a pretty physically demanding job as a blue collar worker in a manufacturing environment.
    On my off time I was a passionate programmer with an online gaming addiction. I did very little programming for a couple of years and spent way too many consecutive hours gaming until the tendons started to cry foul along with my eyes. I also had back spasms.
    It was then I committed to a break every hour and did 20 laps around the interior of the house.
    In 2009 I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and hyper tension. I had not been to a doctor in 42 years. Hey if it ain't broke don't fix it.
    It was recommended I do 45 min of exercise a day. I had an old Jane Fonda step aerobic tape but it was a pain to set up the room to view it. It was then I substituted what I call and old-mans-jog to my laps. I lost needed weigh (18 lbs). I changed my diet (Nutri-System D) and invested in an Areon Chair. My glucose, while still higher than normal, is in my target range.
    I do 260 laps a day. 13 sets of 20 laps which works out to about 2.3 miles. I also supplement 10 sets with 20 sit ups.


    I find the 4-5 minutes an hour a lot less obtrusive than a 45 min workout.


    I also read that those who do workouts daily (run,gym,aerobic..) but then are sedentary the rest of the day may be getting a lot less benefit than they think.


    I still spend way too much time in front of the computer but my body feels great.


    James

  4. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by std10093 View Post
    Hey cfanatic, long time to see you! Is that foot rest really helpful?
    Hi std10093, long time no C.

    The foot rest is really helpful if your chair is too high, and your feet are not resting horizontally on the ground, which means that your body is sliding forward, and your lower back moving away from the back of the chair, so your lower back is not supported.


    The foot rest helps to keep your feet and lap horizontal(parallel) with the ground, so that you posture is well supported by the feet and buttocks. A proper foot rest's angle can also be altered, to make sitting more comfortable to improve posture.

    If your chair is too short, you will need to raise it, or find a more suitable chair.

    EDIT:

    brewbuck: I wish you all the best.

    jcfuller: I've written a VB program that pops up a window every 45 minutes that tells me to take a break. The window also maximises and blocks the entire screen for 15 minutes(but there is a button to override this, if necessary), after which, the window disappears, and I can use the computer again.

    So basically, I am forced to take a break every 45 minutes, and so I am forced to get up and do something else.
    Last edited by cfanatic; 09-11-2013 at 05:47 PM.
    IDE: Code::Blocks | Compiler Suite for Windows: TDM-GCC (MingW, gdb)

  5. #20
    Officially An Architect brewbuck's Avatar
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    Ok, new labs are back. I don't have cancer, thank God. I might have some kind of bone marrow disorder but nothing I can't deal with.

    I am hoping to avoid surgery, and I am mostly optimistic that I'll be able to. I'm starting PT tomorrow, and if that doesn't help, we'll start with epidural steroid injections, and if the pain persists I will begin to consider surgery, but I want to delay that as long as possible. What I'm hearing from the doctors is that although it is very painful, I am not in danger of actually worsening the injury through normal activities. Basically, I should not go skydiving, horseback riding, replace the roof on a house, those sorts of things. Thankfully I can still hike (though it will be painful).
    Code:
    //try
    //{
    	if (a) do { f( b); } while(1);
    	else   do { f(!b); } while(1);
    //}

  6. #21
    SAMARAS std10093's Avatar
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    Thanks cfanatic for the info. Brwebuck, thanks God literally.
    Code - functions and small libraries I use


    It’s 2014 and I still use printf() for debugging.


    "Programs must be written for people to read, and only incidentally for machines to execute. " —Harold Abelson

  7. #22
    (?<!re)tired Mario F.'s Avatar
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    Glad to hear things aren't as bad, brewbuck. Don't turn your back on recovery! Ha!

    But all this begs the question. How many of us can really deal with sitting in a healthy and responsible way? It's a known problem to many people who tried it, that upright desks simply don't work for us. Likewise, bad habits die hard and good habits are stillborn, because many of us, no matter how hard we tried, couldn't manage to adapt successfully to the so-called ergonomic sitting.

    Meanwhile technology itself seems comfortable with the idea of making us feel uncomfortable. Despite my best attempts at trying to rationalize it, I'm still at awe as to how someone has ever thought that spending hours daily in front of a touchscreen is going to do any good to anyone who isn't an orangutang.
    Last edited by Mario F.; 09-12-2013 at 02:00 PM.
    Originally Posted by brewbuck:
    Reimplementing a large system in another language to get a 25% performance boost is nonsense. It would be cheaper to just get a computer which is 25% faster.

  8. #23
    Officially An Architect brewbuck's Avatar
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    Thanks Epy, cfanatic, std10093, Mario F. and everyone else who has expressed concern for me. It really makes a difference -- seriously.

    I am now doing an exercise which has the funny name of "nerve flossing." You can find videos of this online. Basically, by moving the entire body in certain ways, it causes the spinal cord and other nerves (e.g. sciatic nerve) to shift axially, literally flossing the nerve. This seems to be helping; at the very least, it is resulting in changes in the characteristics of my symptoms. The pain/numbness seems to be much more localized, no longer a general "got the hell beaten out of my entire leg" feeling, but shooting/pulsing/shocking pain limited to particular areas, morphing into different sensations such as numbness or tingling.

    It's amazing the way our nervous system works.
    Code:
    //try
    //{
    	if (a) do { f( b); } while(1);
    	else   do { f(!b); } while(1);
    //}

  9. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by brewbuck View Post
    I was given a set of exercises to perform every day.
    Hi
    I go home for lunch for 1 hour. So I'm trying that 'nerve flossing' exercise. Can you also post some other exercises that were suggested to you.

    thanks once again!

  10. #25
    Officially An Architect brewbuck's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bos1234 View Post
    Hi
    I go home for lunch for 1 hour. So I'm trying that 'nerve flossing' exercise. Can you also post some other exercises that were suggested to you.

    thanks once again!
    I can describe them, but with the caveat that they may not be perfectly appropriate for your situation. I don't want you to hurt yourself doing something you shouldn't be doing. So, this isn't medical advice.

    I do the basic leg-lift nerve flossing, where you assume a seated position and clasp the back of the knee on the target leg to bear its weight. While supporting the leg, the knee extends to lift the foot and lower leg. Ideally, pull your toes toward your head as you do this. As the leg comes up, the head tips back so you are looking upward. The movements then reverse, the head drops forward as the leg goes back to the floor. Only do this within pain-free range. EDIT: Please make sure you are doing the correct exercise. There are several variations of this exercise, and some of them stretch the nerve instead of flossing it. You want the head to go BACK as the leg lifts UP. Do not put the head down while the leg goes up, that stretches the nerve.

    I also do a yoga-like move called a pelvic tuck. There are multiple ways to do it. I do it by getting on hands and knees with the arms and thighs approximately 90 degrees upright. Then move the belly-button part of the abdomen toward the floor, and away from the floor. This arches the spine and causes the pelvis to tilt foward and backward. The tilting of the pelvis is the purpose of the exercise. I have mild pain at the extreme ends of my range. The range is not terrible, but not great either. I am improving slowly.

    I also do a quad stretch. You can do this the typical way, or the way I do it is to stand about a foot from a wall, supporting myself against it with both hands, then extend the leg to be stretched backward and point the toes.

    Back when I did PT for the first time, I had a bunch of core strength exercises as well. Things like front and side planks, bridges with leg extensions, and some work on a weight machine. Right now I'm not doing those, because I'm giving the disc time to heal back up and stop being inflamed all the time. I am trying to wean myself off of naproxen...
    Last edited by brewbuck; 09-17-2013 at 10:58 PM.
    Code:
    //try
    //{
    	if (a) do { f( b); } while(1);
    	else   do { f(!b); } while(1);
    //}

  11. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by brewbuck View Post
    I can describe them, but with the caveat that they may not be perfectly appropriate for your situation. I don't want you to hurt yourself doing something you shouldn't be doing. So, this isn't medical advice.
    Noted.
    Thanks very much!

  12. #27
    Stoned Witch Barney McGrew's Avatar
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    You could try sitting/squatting on the floor with a laptop raised on a stack of books. Much fun. ^_^

  13. #28
    11DE784A SirPrattlepod's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Barney McGrew View Post
    You could try sitting/squatting on the floor with a laptop raised on a stack of books. Much fun. ^_^
    I squat on my bed... it's too hard when I am upright

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