There is a good chance you are sitting
down right now. It’s possible you’ve
been sitting all day, or maybe you’ve
even been sitting every day for the last
few decades.
“There is a trend in the 21st century
that 80 percent of our jobs require
sitting, and it’s even more so when
you include leisure time,” says Marit
Johnson (CE 96), a PhD candidate in
biomedical engineering at SD Mines.
You may guess that spending all this
time in a chair is not so good for your
health. In fact, research is now showing
prolonged sitting may contribute to
lower back pain. “Eighty percent of
us will experience back pain in our
lifetime,” says Johnson. "If your job
requires long hours in a chair, back pain
can be a real issue."
Johnson’s research is focused on the
intervertebral discs of the lower back.
These discs are in between the vertebrae,
or bones, of the spine, and their softer
tissue provides cushion and flexibility.
They are key components of a healthy
and functional spine.
Research shows that intervertebral discs
need to exchange fluid to maintain a
healthy environment, similar to how
our bodies need breathing to exchange
carbon dioxide with oxygen for our
survival. “Typically, when we wake
up in the morning we’re taller,” says
Johnson. At night when we sleep the
discs pull in fluid and they expand. As
the day goes on,...