1. Sign our petition calling on Cochrane to withdraw their review of Exercise Therapy for CFS here.
    Dismiss Notice
  2. Guest, the 'News in Brief' for the week beginning 18th March 2024 is here.
    Dismiss Notice
  3. Welcome! To read the Core Purpose and Values of our forum, click here.
    Dismiss Notice

The dangers of sitting?

Discussion in 'Other health news and research' started by Sasha, Mar 8, 2021.

Tags:
  1. Sasha

    Sasha Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    3,768
    Location:
    UK
    Two or three years ago I seem to remember a lot of news stories about how sitting (or presumably lying) still for ages at a stretch was an independent risk factor for a shedload of diseases, regardless of whether you exercised even strenuously at some point in the day. The advice was (I think) that we should all get up every 30 minutes or so and walk around for a minute.

    I decided to look this up, to see if I should use some of my precious and limited walking energy in this way, and have struggled to find primary sources. I did, however, find this (undated?) article pouring cold water on the quality of the relevant studies and suggesting that time sitting is simply the inverse correlate of time spent active and that the whole thing is an artefact.

    Has anyone looked into this?
     
  2. Wonko

    Wonko Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    6,674
    Location:
    UK
    No, it appears to be health gospel - not to be questioned.

    To the extent that, as far as I know, all activity trackers (like garmins, fitbits etc) come with a move alert that goes off at intervals to 'remind' people that they haven't moved in x minutes - that then has to be turned off, as straight jackets are so difficult to find on amazon.
     
    Kitty, FMMM1, Invisible Woman and 6 others like this.
  3. Arnie Pye

    Arnie Pye Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    6,048
    Location:
    UK
    This might be of relevance :

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-50170687

    Title : Patients to stand up at GP appointments in Loughborough University trials

    The idea, apparently, is to make appointments even shorter than they already are. But of course, the idea of actually seeing a doctor face-to-face is ancient history, and I'm not convinced the NHS will ever turn back the clock on this, so the idea of standing appointments is moot.
     
    Kitty, Ariel, Invisible Woman and 7 others like this.
  4. NelliePledge

    NelliePledge Moderator Staff Member

    Messages:
    13,145
    Location:
    UK West Midlands
    If they brought this in I would definitely get a rollator with a seat, been thinking about it anyway, I’m not flippin standing up for an appointment.
     
    alktipping, Kitty, Mithriel and 10 others like this.
  5. Snow Leopard

    Snow Leopard Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    3,823
    Location:
    Australia
    It's not the sitting per se, but the staying in one position for a long period of time. Standing on the spot without moving much also poses the same problems.
     
    alktipping, Michelle, Kitty and 13 others like this.
  6. Sisyphus

    Sisyphus Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    458
    Human bodies were made to move, and when they don’t it sets off a chain of decline. Too much time in bed can degrade even one’s arteries; they go slack.
    Unlike any other condition I can think of at the moment, moving as much as possible will make us worse, and more time being horizontal makes us better.

    But there’s no repeal of the workings of nature or physiology; because we must minimize effort and maximize horizontal time it does not follow that those things are harmless. It ain’t fair, but it’s what we’ve got. I >think< there’s a threshold below which we benefit by some version of exercise, but have no way to prove or disprove it.
     
    Last edited: Mar 9, 2021
    alktipping, Michelle, Kitty and 10 others like this.
  7. Ravn

    Ravn Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    2,044
    Location:
    Aotearoa New Zealand
    I've no idea about the science behind it but I sort of do this anyway because I find that if I lie down for more than about 45 minutes my POT on getting up again is much worse than if I get up briefly after 35 minutes. So my day is a series of lying down/reclining for 35 minutes, getting up and doing something for a couple of minutes, lying down/reclining for 35 minutes, action 2 minutes, and repeat...
     
    alktipping, Kitty, Simbindi and 8 others like this.
  8. Sasha

    Sasha Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    3,768
    Location:
    UK
    I've wondered whether there would be any benefit from a 'passive exercise' machine that PwME (and others who can't move much under their own power) get their limbs moved. I know that biologically it wouldn't involve the same processes, but don't know enough biology to know whether it would help with anything...
     
    alktipping, Kitty, Simbindi and 4 others like this.
  9. Forestvon

    Forestvon Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    405
    My doc told me yrs ago I needed passive physio and physio came - had to educate her about ME and PEM - but she explained it needs to be done daily and that if I had somone who coukd do it she could show them what to do, but I live alone so not on.
     
    alktipping, Kitty, Simbindi and 3 others like this.
  10. Wyva

    Wyva Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    1,368
    Location:
    Budapest, Hungary
    This reminds me of the "evil machine of torture" when I had a serious knee operation in my student years (before ME/CFS) and was put on a knee-bending machine several times, similar to this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/CPM-Machin...ve-Motion-Physiotherapy-Machine-/163244704559

    These kinds of machines definitely exist. (Note: it gave me a really uncomfortable experience back then but it was because of the surgery and that my knee just wouldn't bend afterwards, and it shouldn't feel as bad for someone without knee injury.)
     
    alktipping, Kitty, Simbindi and 4 others like this.
  11. Three Chord Monty

    Three Chord Monty Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    208
    This isn't exactly that, but it's close. I did this for awhile some years back. It was great & felt like 'exercise without inducing PEM' in its way, but of course the problem was...the effect of traveling to & from the office where it was done. So I can't say there was any positive effect, really. Frustrating because it seemed like there might have been some if not for the effort involved in the necessary travel--which wasn't a long distance, but of course just going out is a big deal.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/External_counterpulsation
     
  12. Invisible Woman

    Invisible Woman Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    10,280
    I don't know about a passive exercise machine but I saw a physio in the early days. This was when my ME was considered to be moderate.

    Invariably, many I arrived for my appointment she'd take one look at me and wince. I was in so much constant pain I couldn't begin to tell you where it hurt.

    She'd get me on the treatment table. She'd start putting supports under my head, knees ankles, elbows & shoulders. Swapping them.out when she decided they weren't right.

    Then she'd leave me for about 10 minutes and come back and readjust them and leave me.

    Eventually , when I was slightly less stiff and had had a rest she started moving my joints around.

    She insisted that she lift the limb, not me. She'd say relax & I would have bet a month's salary that I had relaxed the muscles in the limb. Apparently, I hadn't - I couldn't. No wonder it hurt.

    It was unbelievable how she knew how to handle my very sore body without inflicting pain.

    I was often her last appointment of the day and when she'd finished she'd tell.me to stay there. She went off & did her paperwork and I slept like a log for an hour.

    I swear I'd walk out feeling several inches taller.

    Of course it all costs - I had to travel to her & back. Her fees were very reasonable but when I had to stop work and my finances became less certain.....
     

Share This Page