Common Diseases Caused by Prolonged Sitting in Traditional Chinese Medicine
Modern research indicates that prolonged sitting without movement easily triggers multiple diseases:
★ Heart Damage from Sitting Too Long: Reduced blood circulation due to prolonged sitting leads to declining heart function. Especially in middle-aged and elderly individuals with conditions like arteriosclerosis, sluggish circulation increases the risk of myocardial infarction and cerebral thrombosis.
★ Muscle Damage from Sitting Too Long: Lack of movement causes poor blood and qi flow, leading to muscle relaxation, reduced elasticity, lower limb edema, fatigue, and in severe cases, muscle stiffness, pain, numbness, and atrophy.
★ Tendon and Bone Damage from Sitting Too Long: Maintaining fixed postures in neck, shoulders, back, and waist keeps intervertebral discs and ligaments under constant tension, causing stiffness and pain. Poor posture (e.g., continuous forward spinal curvature) may lead to hunchback and osteophyte formation. Prolonged pelvic and sacroiliac joint loading impairs abdominal and lower limb circulation, potentially causing constipation, hemorrhoids, lower limb numbness, and varicose veins.
★ Stomach Damage from Sitting Too Long: Lack of full-body movement weakens gastrointestinal motility and reduces digestive fluid secretion, leading to decreased appetite, indigestion, and bloating.