I'd be so much happier without this BS.

[ink_n_imp]

Much as I love my office job, all this sitting is KILLING me. Now, it's not like I'm an athletic person, far from it. I'm one of nature's laze-abouters. The internet has not helped that in the least. HOWEVER. My body just can't take that sort of abuse. I just CAN'T sit for hours and days on end because my body will become one big pile of HURT. I mean, I managed to wrack up quite a few aches and pains back when I was working in Archaeology, but at least they were strains and things that made sense. Went tramping 2 miles with 50 lbs of bulky equipment? Ok, that ache in my back makes sense! Shifted wet clay for 6+ hours for an entire week? Well, no wonder my arms are sore (and getting a bit toned, nice). Been troweling through glacial fill of highly compacted rocks and dirt? Of COURSE my wrists and forearm is going to be one long OUCH.

But here, while I'm not climbing under/over tables, running up/down stairs, lifting/dragging furniture, I'm sitting on my ass. ALL DAY. I mean, that paper work ain't going to finish itself!

(Oh, that I wish it would!)

But this is causing…problems. Never mind the knots in my shoulders (friends of mine who can beat a back into submission have described as my body's OBVIOUS attempts at building body armor). I've been trying to stretch and stuff, but I just can't shake this absolute PAIN in my lower back. And if I sit for more than an hour, I have to be careful about HOW I get up from my seat. And then I have to be carefully walking for a bit. Which, like I said, IS KILLING ME, because I'm one of those 'sit down/jump up/throw myself back into my chair/leap to my feet again!' sorts.

The minute I start walking and moving and crawling and crouching, my back feels worlds better. But as soon as I sit? I'm back where I started. I can't help but feel this is my body's way of demanding that I get on planning/creating that farming commune of my dreams. 'Look how unhappy I can make you when you aren't outside in the sun and wind and other elements with dirt under your nails and finagling with equipment and dreaming of the things you could grow in a greenhouse complex a'la EPCOT and contemplating the merits of pre-industrial revolution farming methods and the trials and tribulations of goat-raising' it seems to be saying.

ARGH why must I be such a HOBBIT.

Comments

[wheres-walnut.livejournal.com]

SOUNDS LIKE SOMEONE NEEDS A BACK RUB.

We should have a back rub meet up.

[ink-n-imp.livejournal.com]

IAWTC. Just replace "back rub" with "someone 130lbs and under to walk on my back for a bit". Then we're good.

I think all future meet ups should open with communal back rubbing. I MEAN IF CAPTAIN KIRK CAN GET ONE FROM THAT ENSIGN/YEOMAN, I THINK WE'RE TOTALLY JUSTIFIED IN MAKING IT A STANDARD MEET UP OPERATION.

[wheres-walnut.livejournal.com]

lol, I'm sure that could be arranged.

I feel like we should have been doing this the whole time! We're all stressy little stressers! LET'S GET MASSAGING PEOPLE.

If I actually posted that as a meet up announcement there would be SO MANY HAPPY ENDING JOKES.

SINCE WE'RE SHARING

[sparkly-stuff.livejournal.com]

It's funny, because I've experienced the flip side--having spent years in retail I know what torture it is on the body to be on your feet 8+ hours a day, and I always dreamed of having a job where I could finally sit on my ass all day! But then it turned out that sitting in front of a computer all day is bad for you too, as I have been since becoming unemployed--did you know you can get hemmorrhoids from spending too much time sitting down? Let's just say I happened to learn that the hard way D': So yeah, I guess the moral of the story is that too much of either sitting or standing is bad for you and I totally agree the best jobs are where you get to do both :/

[ncc-gqmf.livejournal.com]

Gurllll I very seriously injured myself living like that, I am not even joking. I had to go the hospital and have physical therapy because I fucked up my lower back so bad and it was 100% just from sitting around all the time.

Sadly, massages won't help much, IME. Here is what you need to do, as advised by me and my PT team:

1) I'm guessing that you also spend a lot of time sitting on your couch or in your bed, and/or you have no back support on your chair at work. FIX THIS. Get a back pillow and put it down by your lower back. SIT UP STRAIGHT ALL THE TIME. It will also hurt for a while, but less than tearing the ligaments around your spine will.

2) When you lie down, lie so you can arch your back. Move away from the pain -- if it hurts less when you arch forward, do that. I tend to lie on my stomach and lean on my elbows so I can arch backwards, which helps me a ton. If I sit up against the wall, I prop myself up with pillows, or I now have a boyfriend pillow that I use sometimes.

3) Look up exercises for chronic or acute lower back pain. These stretches (http://www.lower-back-pain-answers.com/lower-back-stretches.html) are pretty good. Swimming is also really great if you have any access to it.

4) If it gets really severe or starts to radiate down your leg, do not pass Go, do not collect $200, go to the doctor immediately, because that's the sign that you done fucked it up down there.

I still get backaches all the time (actually, it hurts like a mofo today D:) but now that I have steps to deal with it, it's a lot better than it was 2 years ago. I mean, literally just being able to walk and sit down without crying is a huge improvement.

[puckling.livejournal.com]

ARGH why must I be such a HOBBIT.

But I love that about you!

[grey-bard.livejournal.com]

I fit this description! That is, if you are minded to allow me to walk on you.

[grey-bard.livejournal.com]

Seriously, if you follow ncc_gqmf's advice and the pain fails to go away, see a doctor. Stuff is easier to fix before it gets to an "OMG EMERGENCY!!!" level. Do not be like the lady who took silver nitrate drops until she literally turned gray. All over.