What are standing desk risks and what to do about them?

Standing Desk Risks

Standing desks lovers should be familiar with standing desks risks and side effects of a very long standing work. If you think that standing during work for a long time is a type of exercise and it maintains your physical fitness by burning extra calories you should also acknowledge the fact that standing for prolonged periods can lead to certain cardiovascular disorders (Krause, 2000). Moreover, muscles kept in a constant stress position quickly become exhausted and can result in pain and swelling in the lower back, legs, ankles, and feet (Waters, Thomas R.; Dick, Robert B., 2015). To cope with the dangers of standing desk risks, you should have to review your standing time and rest your body after regular intervals.

How do extra sitting at desks destabilize your body?

If you feel that working by sitting at desks during your office work is a more convenient and comfortable option for you, you should also keep in mind that long time sitting and working consistently in an office or your home can give birth to chronic health problems like thickening of your veins, blood pressure issues and many more.

Excessive sitting habits during work are really bad for your physical and mental health. Your body demands a little activity to reduce the sluggish effect. To maintain the level of blood circulation you have to stand up from your seat regularly. A few minutes’ walk or movement is highly helpful.

Working for hours in a sitting position slows down your metabolism. It also causes compression of the abdomen and slowing down your digestive system which causes some serious threats of constipation, heartburn, and bloating. You have to leave your desk and switch your position after an interval as a precautionary measure. The best way to avoid serious health issues is to regulate your timing of work on the sitting desk.

What is the appropriate balance between sitting and standing?

No doubt excess of everything is bad. Sitting and standing time of your work duration should be kept at a balanced ratio. Although there are some advantages of standing practice during work like burning of more calories and minimizing the weight gain chances but it can challenge your physical fitness.

When you stand all day, your muscles bear many standing desk risks. When your muscles are fully tensed and tired, they result in the collapsing of their tendons and ligaments. This breakdown of tissue essentials causes soft tissue injuries like knee and foot pain, hip pain, knee pain, heel pain, and backaches. Consequently sitting mode charms you to soothe your mind and to keep your body relaxed. But sitting many hours a day during work, as there are only so many hours in a day, brings some chronic diseases including diabetes, heart issue, and some forms of cancers.

Start your routine with minimum standing time with which your muscles can easily tolerate. Don’t tease your body and don’t stand or sit beyond your patience level. Whether you sit or stand keep your mind alert not to fix in a position for a long time. A little movement and switching of your body regulate your circulatory system. Did you know that fidgety is the key separating the lean from the obese, according to a Mayor Clinic Research published in the Washington Post? Sitting and standing working positions have their virtues or vices, it’s up to you to keep things simple by maintaining a healthy balance between sitting vs standing.

Related article: Suggested sitting and standing ratio at a standing desk

Is standing better than sitting?

Standing versus sitting, which one is best for burning your extra calories? It is a norm that ‘stand to work’ does this in a better way. Given many advantages, you should be cautious of the standing desk risks: “If prolonged sitting in the workplace is required or desired, individuals should gradually transition to significant periods of standing” (Buckley, 2015). Standing during work has an upper hand on sitting in the context of physical activity. Muscles are more active in standing stance causing energy consumption. The calories are burnt and utilized due to stimulated metabolism. You get lower chances of getting fat because standing requires a bulk of energy which is obtained from those dissolved fats. Standing also ensures your mental alertness.

Standing desks provide an opportunity to switch easily between sitting and standing position within seconds. Its benefits include lowering the danger of fatal diseases like overweight, heart disease, and obesity, as well as empowering your productivity level and also refreshing your mood. In a standing position, your muscles are highly activated in burning calories and make you more risk-free form strokes. Despite all these advantages of standing desks you should not ignore balancing your standing work. A properly balanced plan of work should be followed to hold the right balance between sitting and standing time.

How to use standing desks

Below is a summary, you can read more about tips using a standing desk in our blog.

• The first and foremost thing while using standing desks is to take adequate intervals for rest and keep a perfect balance between sitting and standing time.
• No doubt standing for hours is a completely tiring job. You should start with standing desks with short intervals on the starting day and gradually increase this time with the increase of your forbearance level.
• Try to perform some physical movement for one minute of every hour like moving, rising heels, bending knees, and shifting your body position to regulate blood circulation in all parts of your body.
• Adjust your standing desk up and down placing your forearms in a comfortable position. Your wrist should be inflexible but allow your fingers to hang down to touch your keyboard.
• Your elbows should be straight to the right angle and wrists should be upright in front of you while you are using standing desks.
• Try maximum to relax your wrists by gliding straight on your keyboard. An erect neck and straight shoulders enhance your efficiency during work and decrease the threat of muscle fatigue.
• To prevent joint lock make your knees a little bent to avoid stretching out your knees during standing work.
• Keep a balanced posture because your posture directly affects your spine. A firm posture ensures the stability of your spine and assists your body. Worse posture and sedentary habits are the major causes of spine pains.
• One thing more helpful for while you use standing desks is your comfortable wear. Even if there is an official dress code in offices you have to follow, make sure you have a pair of comfortable shoes that soothes your feet and knees.
• You can relax while standing for work by stretching your hamstrings, bending a little toward your feet makes you feel of a little stretch and relax.

Conclusion

Adding a standing habit to your prolonged sitting day is no doubt more health practice. Your productivity and energy levels boost up. Hazards of extra standing have also hovered over health. Severe health issues due to over standing for work can spoil your mood and create serious health issues like heart disease, soft tissue injuries, back pain, and stressed spin. You should acknowledge these limitations of standing desks and keep tracking your standing time. You should have a clear idea of using standing desks in the right way. You can switch your posture and position regularly to regulate your blood circulation and avoid uneasiness. Standing desks risks can be kept down by managing your work routine and keeping a perfect balance between sitting and standing.

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References

1.Krause, N (2000). "Standing at work and progression of carotid atherosclerosis". Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health. 26 (3): 227–236. DOI:10.5271/sjweh.536

2.Waters, Thomas R.; Dick, Robert B. (1 May 2015). "Evidence of Health Risks Associated with Prolonged Standing at Work and Intervention Effectiveness". Rehabil Nurs. 40 (3): 148–165. DOI:10.1002/rnj.166. PMC 4591921. PMID 25041875.

3. Buckley, J.P. (2015). "The sedentary office: a growing case for change toward better health and productivity. Expert statement commissioned by Public Health England and the Active Working Community Interest Company". Br J Sports Med. 49 (21): 1357–62. DOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2015-094618. PMID 26034192.