Save Your Organs

If you’re like me, the photo above makes you wince because you know exactly how sore her neck, back and shoulders are going to be. Who hasn’t found themselves collapsed over some electronic device, or while working on an art project, or watching TV, and then felt the effects?

Take a second look and you’ll see another, less obvious disaster unfolding. Yes, sitting this way for any period of time damages your spine. But it’s equally damaging to your organs.

Sitting this way shortens her front body. The weight of her shoulders and head squeezes and compresses her entire abdominal area. Remember that every inch of forward posture adds 10 pounds to the weight of your head and you’ll appreciate just how big a load that is.

Years ago, on a visit to the cadaver lab at Stanford University, I saw something that has stayed with me ever since. Our abdominal cavity is packed full. Like a freshly opened can of sardines, our belly has no extra space, anywhere.

This anatomical model gives you some sense of just how tightly packed our internal organs are.

Just imagine then, what happens to our organs when our pelvis falls backward, our spine collapses into a C shape, and the weight of our head increases by 20 or 30 pounds. Suddenly our liver, spleen, stomach and intestines are subjected to weight they were never designed to bear. The already tightly packed abdominal compartment has no extra space to deal with this compression. Instead, our curved-forward posture squeezes and misshapes our organs.

Under these conditions, how can they possibly function normally? Besides the immediate problems like constipation, stomach cramps, and harmful pressure on the pelvic floor what might the long-term effects be? What happens when the pressure in the abdomen increases and possibly decreases the flow of fluids or the function of any given organ? Deterioration may be inevitable.

Happily, the same posture that preserves your spine in good health is also healthy for your organs. Abdominal pressure is a postural problem and can be solved with information, awareness, and know-how.

This Friday, May 12th, in the noon Heal Your Pain and Posture class you’ll learn how to get up-right and comfortable while sitting to work at a computer.

The chair I recommend is the office chair below.

The advantages of this chair are that it goes up higher than any other chair I have ever worked with. Note how much higher the seat is in comparison to the folding chair. This height means that you can put your arms and hands in an optimal position. The seat is padded and the sitting surface is flat. You can purchase a version that has arms but I don’t recommend it. You can find this chair on Amazon and probably in other locations. (I don’t get a kickback from recommending it, FYI.)

You really want to get this straight, your health and comfort depend on it.