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Office Life Is Destroying Your Butt

melmagazine.com

101–110 of 135 posts

Re: Office Life Is Destroying Your Butt

#101
post #68

I'm 31 and my lower back has started hurting and giving me issues, especially while sleeping. I always assumed this would only happen much later and technology would have advanced enough by then that I could have gotten a robotic lower back. But here we are. This is even with doing a stairwell run every hour and standing up quite often, and sitting at what some article stated was the best angle, 135 degrees or someth…

I had a similar issue. After encouragement from my wife, I visited a chiropractor. A few adjustments later, and my back pain is dramatically reduced. My chiropractor isn’t pushing holistic medicine or other garbage, or I would be running from the experience. There are many charlatans out there looking to fleece the desperate, so be careful.

There are plenty of good chiropractors out there, especially (I find) ones who do more sports-related work. I still regular MDs about any long term issues, but especially for something sudden or a small injury like falling funny or wrenching a back muscle, a chiropractor can help take off the edge and train muscles for better posture.

But stay away from the ones who think they can treat medical issues with spinal adjustments or weird arts.

Re: Office Life Is Destroying Your Butt

#102
post #68

I'm 31 and my lower back has started hurting and giving me issues, especially while sleeping. I always assumed this would only happen much later and technology would have advanced enough by then that I could have gotten a robotic lower back. But here we are. This is even with doing a stairwell run every hour and standing up quite often, and sitting at what some article stated was the best angle, 135 degrees or someth…

I had a similar issue. After encouragement from my wife, I visited a chiropractor. A few adjustments later, and my back pain is dramatically reduced. My chiropractor isn’t pushing holistic medicine or other garbage, or I would be running from the experience. There are many charlatans out there looking to fleece the desperate, so be careful.

See a PT. Chiropractors are quacks.

Re: Office Life Is Destroying Your Butt

#103
post #66
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Leds can flicker even worse than flourescent. Test it with your mobile camera, shove it up to the lights real close and see if it starts showing banding all over the screen. The calmest light you get is halogen or a normal lightbulb of the burning rust type.

The solution is to have DC powered lighting circuits so you don't have terrible $0.50 AC/DC power supplies in every bulb. It'd be nice to have DC circuits for electronics, too, but that's probably a lost cause.

I’m hoping that USB Type C connectors become ubiquitous and people start installing USB C outlets in addition to AC in many wall sockets. Many small appliances can switch to DC and get rid of their transformers. AC will still be needed for e.g. vacuum cleaners, washing machines, refrigerators, loudspeakers, blenders, toasters, hair dryers, etc.

Re: Office Life Is Destroying Your Butt

#104
post #53

Toilet paper might also be causing hemorrhoids. Consider that our bodies were not evolved to use toilet paper, and that hemorrhoids are virtually unheard of in third-world countries that lack TP. (I haven't confirmed that latter claim. It's just something I read once, somewhere.) Anyone who's been sick and had to go to the loo multiple times in a row will notice how painful it becomes. I'm not sure it would be painfu…

I've read that the culprit is not toilet paper, but the face that we sit when we shit, while we ostensibly evolved to squat. So the bowels don't straighten out as they should, and the excessive pushing leads to pressure which gradually causes blood vessels to bulge over time. Also, baby wipes work for adults too.

this is one idea I think we can borrow somewhat from third world countries which only have squat toilets (basically a hole in tbe ground)

Re: Office Life Is Destroying Your Butt

#105
post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know almost nothing about medicine, but my guess is that the issue is that staying in one place all day is the issue, not whether you’re sitting or standing.

Treadmill desks should be the solution, then.

You jest.. but email while in the gym works. Quick stuff to reply to between sets, longer messages while on the bike.

Re: Office Life Is Destroying Your Butt

#106
post #53

Toilet paper might also be causing hemorrhoids. Consider that our bodies were not evolved to use toilet paper, and that hemorrhoids are virtually unheard of in third-world countries that lack TP. (I haven't confirmed that latter claim. It's just something I read once, somewhere.) Anyone who's been sick and had to go to the loo multiple times in a row will notice how painful it becomes. I'm not sure it would be painfu…

Curious, can you name one country that lacks toilet paper or where hemerroids are unheard of?

Re: Office Life Is Destroying Your Butt

#108

This really worked for me: (A) a cheap, DIY standing desk arrangement (B) a cheap "stability cushion" to stand on so I'm neither standing totally still nor doing some repetitive exercise-machine (C) squatty-potty (off-brand, DIY options are fine, lilypad or nature's platform style for better real-deal)

Concerning point (C):

I've found pooping with your feet on your tippy toes like a ballerina also does the trick (while still sitting down of course) to achieve the elevation of your legs to be in more of a squat position when pooping.

If you ever go to China and have to squat to poop, that's also a good catalyst to finding the right squat position to best suit you.

Re: Office Life Is Destroying Your Butt

#109

I prefer to take frequent walks, which also helps to clear my head and forces me to do other exercises like climbing stairs. A “standing desk” just seems like a really complex solution that doesn’t even address any part of the problem except the sitting. Also, standing desks are really weird in a cubicle situation where suddenly your neighbor is towering over the wall for an hour, peering into your space.

Cubes come in more than one height, are you talking about the short ones? Also, does having a standing desk stop you from talking frequent walks? Have you seen someone who advocates standing desks recommend not having any other mitigation?

>Cubes come in more than one height, are you talking about the short ones?

I've never seen cubicle walls higher than ~5'. Most people (and we're talking software devs here, so men) are a fair bit taller than 5'.

Re: Office Life Is Destroying Your Butt

#110

I'm 31 and my lower back has started hurting and giving me issues, especially while sleeping. I always assumed this would only happen much later and technology would have advanced enough by then that I could have gotten a robotic lower back. But here we are. This is even with doing a stairwell run every hour and standing up quite often, and sitting at what some article stated was the best angle, 135 degrees or someth…

>sitting for 14 hours a day

Are you really sitting for 14 hours / day? That's insane, you need to move around more. You say you take breaks and do pilates, so maybe 14 is an exaggeration? If not you should try to be more active once you're home.

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