Health Risks of Prolonged Sitting – How to Protect Your Body -The Broken Chair
- Dr. Howard A. Friedman MD, founder of HHOM LLC
- Aug 2
- 6 min read
7-13-2025
By Dr. Howard Friedman MD | Veteran | U.S. Army Medical Corps | Internal Medicine | HHOM LLC
The chair is still, but I am not—
My blood slows down, my breath forgot.
What seems like rest is slow decay,
One more hour takes life away.
—Dr. Howard Friedman, MD
Introduction – A Modern Threat in Disguise
We were made to move. Bones are built to bear weight, muscles to contract and release, lungs to expand with effort—not just sighs. But somewhere along the way, the chair replaced the march, mission and the field. For many veterans and civilians alike, it began with a job, an injury, or a shift into the quieter rhythm of modern life. The rest felt earned—until the pain crept in. The health risks of prolonged sitting are often underestimated. We think a chair gives us rest, but too much stillness damages the body in ways we can’t see at first.
Modern life brought this quietly into the room. Maybe it started with the radio—families gathered to listen, but you could still get up, stir a pot, pace the floor. Then came television: the age of the boob tube. And while you watched, why not have a snack? Now it’s computers, laptops, streaming, and video games—screens that hold us hostage. Sitting is the new cigarette. Maybe it’s time we start putting warning labels on chairs and couches.
In medicine, we know trauma doesn’t always come with a scar. Sometimes it looks like stillness. And the body, though quiet, begins to suffer. I’ve seen it over and over: back pain without trauma, fatigue without anemia, blood sugar rising without a poor diet. We chase labs and diagnoses but often overlook a fundamental truth—prolonged sitting is quietly breaking us down.
This blog isn’t about blaming the chair—it’s about breaking free from it. If you’ve traded your boots for a desk, your patrol for paperwork, or your workouts for waiting rooms—this one’s for you. Let’s talk about how to protect your health, even when life tells you to sit down and stay there.
What Happens When We Sit Too Long
To understand the risks of prolonged sitting, we need to look at both mind and body.
Physically, sitting affects posture. Over time, this can compress the spine, tighten the hip flexors, and weaken the gluteal muscles. Circulation slows—gravity pulls blood downward, ankles may swell, and lymphatic drainage is reduced. Insulin sensitivity decreases, and with it, the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar. These changes, though subtle at first, accumulate. Inflammation increases. Metabolic systems begin to shift. The heart, lungs, and musculoskeletal system can all feel the strain.
We often hear that rest is important—and it is. But here lies the paradox: it’s not just the act of sitting that harms but sitting too long and too often. Rest should be rejuvenating, not de-conditioning. What’s missing from most conversations is the concept of active rest—movement as medicine, woven into the day.
Veterans and Sedentary Injury: A Unique Risk
From the outside, military life appears highly active—and in many ways, it is. Different MOSs have different demands, but most roles involve movement, purpose, and routine. Leaving that structure behind can be a major transition.
In my own case, I didn’t serve in combat. I was a military physician—long hours, always on the move. After leaving service and entering private practice, even while staying active and joining a gym, my waist size went from 34 to 36 within just a few months. I had to buy a new wardrobe. That was my shift—and it was subtle but telling.
For others, the change is even more complex. PTSD, combat trauma, environmental toxin exposures—these don’t just affect the mind and body; they also increase sedentary behavior. Depression leads to stillness. Fatigue lingers. And the systems meant to support veterans—VA care, civilian disability programs—rarely account for the ergonomic realities of long-term sitting. Many accommodations don’t go far enough. Certain chronic conditions practically enforce stillness. But this isn’t just about blame or biology. This blog is about awareness—and what you choose to do with that awareness.
Warning Signs: How the Chair Is Already Breaking You
There’s a practice called body scanning—taking a quiet moment to check in with how your body really feels. Do you notice lower back pain? Tight hips? A stiff neck or shoulders? Maybe it’s not pain but a creeping fatigue, a brain fog that won’t lift. These are early signals. Markers of a body kept too still for too long. Left unchecked, those signals become symptoms. Inflammation sets in. Sciatica flares. Blood sugar climbs. The heart weakens. What starts as stiffness becomes disease. That’s the cost of a chair that’s no longer a place to rest—but a trap. You might still be able to walk to the mailbox. But if that short walk leaves you winded, take it seriously. That’s inactivity talking. That’s the broken chair doing its work. There’s nothing wrong with sitting itself. It’s called active rest for a reason. The harm comes when the sitting becomes the default, the routine, the bulk of the day. There’s no exact formula. But you know—deep down—when you’ve crossed the line from rest into neglect.
What You Can Do – Even If You’re Disabled or Desk-Bound
Movement doesn't have to mean marathons. It can start with micro-movements—ankle pumps, glute squeezes, posture resets. You don’t need fancy equipment, though under-desk pedaling devices and dynamic chairs can help. If you're able to get up, do it regularly. If you're not, move what you can, where you are. Stretch the forgotten muscles: the psoas, piriformis, thoracic spine. These areas lock up quickly with prolonged sitting, but even light stretching can restore circulation and relieve stiffness. Try the 30-30 rule—stand or stretch every 30 minutes. Or create mindful transitions—intentionally breaking up sitting time with brief moments of upright movement. I once worked with a depressed veteran, a diabetic dealing with family stress and immobility. He was stuck—physically and emotionally. We started with a five-minute walk. That five minutes turned into ten. Then twenty. Within six months, he’d lost weight, brought his diabetes under control, and came into my office with a smile. The chair didn’t win.
Prevention Is a Form of Service
You served your country—don’t let the chair undo your strength.
Your mission may have changed, but it’s not over. Now it’s about caring for the body and mind that carried you through the hardest years. Taking your health off pause is not just self-care—it’s a continuation of service. You are free to choose how to live; our purpose is to provide evidence-based tools to help guide that choice.
Inflammation is the silent enemy. And it builds not only from poor diet or stress, but from prolonged inactivity. We can’t stop aging, but we can influence how we age. Every step, every stretch, every mindful movement pushes back against decline.
Closing Reflection – It’s Not Just a Chair
Stillness has its place. In fact, we wrote another blog about the power of stillness. But this—this is not that. The broken chair isn’t about laziness; it’s about neglect. And the solution is not punishment—it’s choice.
Choosing health doesn’t require perfection. It starts with awareness, with noticing the early damage and knowing it’s reversible. Healing is motion. Life flows. And it flows forward.
We created HHOM LLC to help veterans and anyone else looking for clear, honest information about their health. Visit our blog library at www.hhomllc.com and take what you need.
Thank you for reading. The next move is yours, do not let the chair make the decision for you.
—Dr. Howard Friedman MD
Board-Certified | Internal Medicine | Veteran | U.S. Army Medical Corps
Founder of Howard’s House of Medicine (HHOM LLC)
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: How much sitting is considered harmful to health?
A: While there’s no single “safe limit,” research shows that sitting more than 6–8 hours a day, especially without movement breaks, increases risks for heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and premature death. Even regular workouts can’t fully counteract prolonged stillness. The goal isn’t just to exercise once a day—it’s to keep the body in motion throughout the day.
Q: What are early warning signs that sitting is damaging my body?
A: Stiffness in the hips or lower back, swelling in the ankles, brain fog, low energy, and reduced tolerance for activity are all early markers of prolonged inactivity. Left unaddressed, these can progress to chronic pain, metabolic changes, and cardiovascular strain. If a short walk feels more exhausting than it should, it’s time to intervene.
Q: What can I do if my job or disability keeps me in a chair for most of the day?
A: Start with micro-movements: ankle pumps, posture resets, seated stretches, or standing for a minute every half hour if possible. Use tools like dynamic chairs, under-desk pedals, or reminder timers. Small, frequent breaks do more for long-term health than one big workout at the end of the day. Even limited motion improves circulation, reduces inflammation, and slows the harmful effects of sitting.
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