One-half of my practice is taking care of employees and dependents employed by the organization for which I work. Most of these patients sit … a lot … and present to me with musculoskeletal pain and weight concerns. My patients have a high degree of health literacy and are fully aware that 6 hours of sitting might have at least something to do with these problems.
We currently seem to be on the other side of the “walk station” mania. Sanity has been restored through a combination of concerns about medical liability for work-related treadmill injuries, expense, space issues, and reports that walkers were more forgetful and less focused. The last study resulted in some personal email for my own indulgences in walking while researching.
Dr. Jon O. Ebbert
But let us not throw out an upright posture with the treadmill. Sitters have an increased risk for elevated blood sugars, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and death. Standers have been suggested to burn 50 more calories per hour. Some experts recommend that people should stand for at least 2 hours each day, and 4 hours is even better.
Dr. Graves and colleagues conducted a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the impact of a sit-stand workstation on sitting time, vascular, metabolic, and musculoskeletal outcomes and to investigate workstation acceptability and feasibility. Forty-seven participants without any bodily symptoms were randomized to either a sit-stand workstation or no intervention for 8 weeks. The sit-stand workstation was associated with decreased sit time (80 minutes per 8-hour work day), increased standing time (73 minutes per 8-hour work day), and a decrease in total cholesterol. No increase in musculoskeletal pain was observed with a suggestion of possible benefit in the neck and upper back (BMC Public Health. 2015;15:1145. doi 10.1186/s12889-015-2469-8).
Each of the devices cost about $550 to install for a single monitor ($20 more for a dual monitor). The intervention was only 8 weeks in duration and stronger effects in musculoskeletal and cardiovascular risk markers might be seen with longer durations of study. The qualitative work in this study suggested that several factors may influence use of a sit-stand desk such as social environment (for example, other colleagues not using it may decrease use), work tasks (for example, paperwork made difficult by limited elevated work surface), and design (for example, keyboard surface bounces too much). From personal experience, the sit-stand desk is ideal if the vast majority of work is on the computer. I’d also like to say I was standing when I wrote this. But I wasn’t. And I wasn’t walking either because I can’t remember where that desk is.
Dr. Ebbert is professor of medicine, a general internist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and a diplomate of the American Board of Addiction Medicine. The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the Mayo Clinic. The opinions expressed in this article should not be used to diagnose or treat any medical condition nor should they be used as a substitute for medical advice from a qualified, board-certified practicing clinician. Dr. Ebbert has no relevant financial disclosures about this article. Follow him on Twitter @jonebbert.