Don't Just Sit There by Katy Bowman, (08) Standing and Injury, Notes

Post date: Oct 20, 2016 1:18:09 PM

Don't Just Sit There by Katy Bowman

Chapter 8. Standing and Injury

• • • It takes time to adapt and we must have a plan for progressing without creating tissue damage. In order to correctly recruit and utilize muscles well, the body needs to get used to long bouts of standing.

    • Alignment is critical. Musculoskeletal issues like knee and back pain that come from standing can be mitigated by smart progressions and changing how we stand. Always mind the alignment points.

    • Varicose Veins

      • Varicose Veins are caused by being upright and still. They are veins that have become enlarged and twisted due to poor circulation.

      • The Venous Return System

        • When blood leaves the heart it flows through the arterial system with assistance from the heart and skeletal muscle. Once it reaches it final destination (in whatever capillary it went to) it returns to the heart via the venous system.

        • To make the long run upward, the venous system relies on other mechanisms to prevent blood from pooling. These include the pumping action of muscles as specialized ‘valves’ that help blood ‘climb up’ our veins. As blood passes through, these valve snap shut behind the volume of blood using the flap as a place to rest.

        • Elevated stress hormones in the blood stream, turbulent blood flow due to poor musculoskeletal alignment, or poor oxygen delivery to tissues (due to lack of movement) can leave a vein weakened and floppy. With a floppy venous wall, the valves no longer close off the vein and back flow is allowed.

      • Varicose veins are warning signs that something's not right, heed the warning. Standing all day or being still all day with no muscular pump helping the blood back up will lead us down varicose vein highway.

    • Calves that never use their full range, that have adapted to heeled shoes, sitting the bulk of the time and walking on flat ground, prime us for injury.

    • Transitioning Appropriately

      • Through diligent and sensible training, we incrementally increase our loads over time to allow our cells to adapt. Gradually increase standing intervals over time plus dedicate portions of the day to doing transitioning exercises.

      • To keep the pressure down, we need to load and unload the calves often to keep the muscle pumps going all day long. Do the two calves stretches coupled with short and long walks. Add footwork and zero rise shoes and our circulatory system will thank us.

      • Standing all day on concrete or other hard surfaces can be hard on the body. Investing in a gel mat or other soft surface can help reduce loads to the body.

    • The Standing Workstation Checklist

      • Constantly monitor alignment points.

      • Use a ½ foam roller or rolled towel to stretch the lower legs each day.

      • Continuously shift the frame to slightly vary the standing alignment to keep the muscles active in a constantly changing way, which also supports the venous return system and minimizes tissue overload.

      • Sit or change positions when muscles are fatigued.

      • Take 1-2 minute movement breaks. Walking short distances every 30 minutes. Talk to people in the flesh instead of calling or messaging them. (this differs from the 3-5 minute exercise breaks we take to improve movement quality)

    • Take 1-2 minute eye breaks every 20 minutes.