There has been a vast interest in the subject of the harmful effects of prolonged sitting at work, but very little attention has been paid to the effects of prolonged standing.
A few studies have linked prolonged standing to health conditions like chronic back pain, pain in lower limbs and increased pressure in veins causing varicose veins which will need you to get treatment from experts at varicoseveinscenternyc.com.
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Standing at Work is Not All Good:
The sitting disease at work has been discussed way over than it is needed. In fact, the trend has led to the addition of standing desks at many workplaces to make sure that the employees are not sedentary most of the day. While this is great, and a good initiative as studies have shown that standing more at work increases productivity.
But new researches have surfaced which say otherwise, while prolonged standing can increase your productivity, it can reduce the mental reaction time hence prolonged standing is not all good and needs to be done with precautions.
Prolonged Standing at Work Increases the Risk of Heart Disease:
A study published indicates that prolonged standing also has adverse effects just like prolonged sitting. The study was performed across four categories of the workers which included the ones who mostly sit, ones who mostly stand, the ones who mix sitting and standing and the fourth category were the ones who also use other body positions such as kneeling and crouching.
The studies concluded that the workers who stood most of the time where twice more likely to develop heart conditions (similar to someone who smoked daily or was obese).
Hence, this study concludes that only a sedentary lifestyle is not responsible for cardiovascular issues, but prolonged standing can also do the same.
Source: Medical News Today
Is Sit-Stand Desk Harmful?
So, is the sit/stand desk just a marketing strategy by the manufacturers? Not really, as the studies have shown that prolonged standing can cause such harmful health effects but if you mix sitting and standing wisely at work, then you should be in good health. In fact, if your office work is mostly sedentary, such desks can help you add some activity in your day. Just make sure that you do not stand or sit continuously but mix it throughout the day and if you feel tired standing, take some rest.
But your health is not only dependent on the fact whether you sit and stand at work. It mainly is dependent on your daily routines, food habits, exercise, etc and just standing a few hours is not going to help you achieve your health goals.
Source: Pinterest
How to Reduce Prolonged Standing Risks?
There are certain jobs where standing for long durations is unavoidable. To minimize the negative effects of standing, take rest whenever possible, sit for a few minutes if you feel your legs are hurting.
If you are developing health issues and heart conditions, you cannot just blame your work nature for it because for you to develop such conditions, the cause would be beyond your working hours. You need to focus on what you do outside the office more to keep yourself healthy as in reality any health condition can be averted by maintaining a good lifestyle inside and outside of work.
