March 16 2020, a day to remember! That was the day we were required to stay home and stay safe unless we were considered Essential Workers. That was the day the YMCA of Laurel Highlands closed it's doors to members, and that was the day people sat down.
Many people sat down and watched the news. Some people sat down in front of their computers and worked from home. Parents and school age kids sat down and learned that being a teacher is a hard job. Crafty folks sat down in front of their sewing machines and made masks to keep their family and friends safe. All this sitting was not good for our bodies.
Now don't get me wrong, not all sitting is bad. Families sat down and ate meals together. They played board games and put puzzles together too. Husbands and wives were forced to have conversations and spend quality time as a couple. I liked this part!
But according to Webmd.com, Too much sitting is bad for your health. It can contribute to an increase in Heart Disease, Dementia, Diabetes, DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis or blood clots), sciatica and so much more. Research from emedicine.com states, One thing that makes sciatica worse is sitting for long periods of time. This increases the pressure put on the lower back and can compress the sciatic nerve. While sitting, a person is often holding his head at an uncomfortable angle watching TV or looking at a computer screen. This can affect a person’s posture and lead to the pain of sciatica.
So what is a person to do about this? Take a break, stretch, and relax.
Which leads me to the second part of this article, STRESS. Oh yes, we were all under alot of stress! We couldn't go out, we couldn't visit our friends and families, we had to wear masks and clean everything we touched. Oh and we weren't allowed to touch our faces. We couldn't find toilet paper, ramen noodles, or macaroni and cheese if we dared to venture out to the grocery store. Some of us even lost our jobs. Talk about stress, this was above and beyond what an American family could expect in the 21st century.
After talking to friends who developed Sciatica during this time, I researched how stress can contribute to Sciatica: Sciatica is caused by compression of the main sciatic nerve that runs down the back of the leg. Stress, fear and other emotional issues impact your entire body by translating into tension and panic. When stress and other issues start to impact your musculature and posture, the sciatic nerve is often one of the first parts of the body to suffer. I also found that Every time we are stressed or find ourselves worrying about something, certain toxins are dumped into our system. Firstly, these toxins make us feel even more miserable, and secondly they have a negative effect on the healing process.
Yep, stress actually directly slows down the time it takes for us to recover from an injury, which means it will take you longer to get better from a sciatica flare up.
Cortisol is a hormone released by the adrenal glands when we are distressed – it is a part of the fight-or-flight mechanism. This is from the website, How to overcome Sciatica.
Now what is the answer, how do we get rid of this pain? Good question! I don't have a hard and fast answer for this. Some say surgery, physical therapy, chiropractic, pain relievers, or exercise. I have tried them all except for surgery and they all help to a degree. Everyone will tell you a different story and many will give you relief. My opinion is to try not to get it in the first place. Keep moving, keep stretching and try to stay calm in all situations. After all it says, "Do not fear" 365 times in the Bible. That sounds like good advice to me!
Now I have been sitting at my kitchen island typing this article for over an hour, I better get up and move!
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