As a society we fail to move. From a young age, we are spending vast hours of the day bent over an iphone, ipad or parked at a desk focusing in on the screen of our PC.

Gone are the days where we spent every light hour of the day, on push bikes or in the courtyard playing ball sports. Video and computer games are par for the course nowadays.

With a bit of luck we mature into young adolescents and shift some of our focus away from video games and onto our studies. The demands and pressure placed on young kids is growing by the year, with hours and hours per week spent fixed to a desk studying away in the pursuit of making competitive grades.

As we mature into young adults, more of the same awaits us with university demands continuing to ensure a sedentary life. For most this only worsens as we enter the workforce, spending long hours in fixed positions as we make our impression on our new employers.

In attempt to zone out and unwind from work we head straight home to sit in from of the TV tuning into one of the many netflix series that entertain and distract us from the daily pressures.

When do we move?

Simply put, for most Australians we do not!!  We sit all day at work, we sit all evening at home, then we lay all night as we sleep.     

Muscles support our postural structure. Muscles support our back.  

Ironically the muscle group the plays the most significant role in supporting our back is the the group we spent the most time resting on - Our backsides (gluteal muscle group)

So if we are never using this muscle group because we are always sitting on it - would it not be natural for this muscle group to become weak, to noticeably atrophy away.

Back pain is a billion dollar industry, with money pouring into doctors surgeries and physiotherapy clinic all of the country each year. Not to mention the mega dollars spent on pain relief, all heading to the big pharma companies.

Millions of pointless dollars pour into research on why so many people suffer from ongoing back pain. However, there is no mystery as to why 8 in every 10 Australians will suffer from back pain. We become weak in the very areas integral to supporting our backs due to the lack of time and focus on activities that use our bodies functionally.  

If a mere fraction of the money and effort was spent on the research and promotion of simple non time consuming exercises that counteract our modern day inactivity then the percentage of australians who suffer from back pain will instantly plummet.

For more information on exercises and movement patterns to prevent and avoid back pain please refer to one of the useful links on our site.