I believe that many of our modern health ailments including most musculoskeletal issues like neck and back pain to a large extent stem from our modern lifestyle being incongruent with what our bodies genetically expect. Below are 3 quotes from leading scientific journals pointing the same direction:
- Booth et al. Waging war on physical inactivity: using molecular ammunition against ancient enemy J Appl Physiol 93: 3-30, 2002
“Physical inactivity produces an abnormal gene expression and is a direct causal factor of most chronic health conditions”
- Eaton & Eaton. An Evolutionary Perspective on Human Physical Activity: Implications for Health. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A 2003 (136) 153-159
“When our current genome was originally selected, daily physical exertion was obligatory; our biochemistry and physiology are designed to function optimally in such circumstances.
- Cordain et al. Physical activity, Energy expenditure and Fitness: An Evolutionary Perspective. 1998 Int. J. Sports Med. (19) 328-335
“The energy expenditure per unit body mass of PA (Physical activity) for contemporary Westerners is about 38% that of our human ancestors”
So with our physical health in mind, it could be worth trying to mimic some of our ancestral daily living conditions and physical work tasks when designing training programs, work tasks, office workstations, etc.