Welcome back!
The headline might have made you think I’ve changed careers—but that’s not the case.
For those of you who’ve been following along for a while, you’ll know that I care deeply about health and maintaining balance in life, even with workdays that sometimes stretch beyond 12 hours.
That’s why I occasionally bring in experts from various fields—people I believe can help us better understand how to create balance in modern life and improve our overall health.
Today, I’m excited to introduce one of my very good friends, Ivar, who holds a PhD in Osteopathy, a Bachelor’s degree in Physiotherapy, and is a certified INS practitioner.
How Ivar’s expertise in osteopathy reshaped my approach to wellness
Ivar is the founder and daily leader at Aarhus Osteopathy—a place I’ve been visiting for quite some time now, unfortunately.
I’ve struggled with head injuries from MMA training, knee and calf issues from CrossFit, and during these experiences, I got to talking with Ivar about how our lifestyle often lies at the root of our physical challenges.
Out of all those injuries came something positive: a friendship and a series of great conversations.
The knowledge Ivar has gained from treating thousands of Danes is something I’ve tried to implement in my own life.
So today, I felt it only right to hand over the stage to a man I have immense respect for—not only for his skills but for his passion to improve people’s quality of life. One person at a time.
So lean back, and see if you can recognize parts of yourself in what follows—I certainly did.
Ivar started Aarhus Osteopathy back in 2014 and since then the clinic has grown at lightning speed. Today, there are over 120 practitioners at the clinics in Denmark and Iceland, performing more than 900 treatments a week. Today, Ivar works with ordinary Danes. Everything from the businessman to the primary school teacher to pensioners. Ivar’s years of experience have created an incredible toolbox of knowledge.
Ívar Dagsson – Doctor of Osteopathy, Osteopath D.O.M.R.O.DK., licensed physiotherapist and INS therapist.
Welcome Ivar!
Thank you, Micky, for the kind words—and for the trust.
For over a decade, I’ve worked with thousands of people suffering from bodily discomfort and chronic pain.
Over the years, I’ve noticed a shift in the kinds of people who visit my clinic.
Today, I mostly treat individuals whose work involves sitting for long periods.
Early in my career, I didn’t think much about this, but as my knowledge of the human body has expanded, it’s all begun to make a lot of sense.
Looking into the statistics, I found the data backed up what I was seeing in practice.
According to the OECD (2012), around 64% of all working Americans were using computers at their workplace in 2012.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projected this number would rise to 77% by 2020—meaning three out of four would spend most of their workday in front of a screen.
Other reports show that up to 40% of jobs involve computer-related tasks that include 3–6 hours of sedentary work.
And in Denmark, this number has only been increasing.
Working in an office can be physically damaging
In 2019, a study by K.M. Diaz et al. concluded that people with jobs requiring 60–90 minutes of uninterrupted sitting for 13 hours a day had twice the risk of early death.
To be clear—working in an office isn’t dangerous in itself.
But it is true that prolonged sedentary behavior over many years can lead to bodily changes that predispose people to chronic diseases.
So why exactly is sitting for long periods so harmful?
Modern office jobs demand two hearts
For sedentary work to be manageable for the human body, we need two functioning “hearts”—or more specifically, two systems that circulate blood.
The arterial system relies on the heart to pump oxygen-rich blood out to the tissues.
But the venous system, which returns deoxygenated blood to the heart and lungs, has no such pump.
This system instead uses our muscles and our diaphragm (the “venous pump”) to push blood upward against gravity.
When we sit still, the venous pump is relatively inactive, disrupting the balance between the arterial and venous systems.
And that’s why prolonged sitting impacts the body negatively.
The venous system as a reservoir
The walls of our veins are elastic, unlike arteries which are rigid.
This elasticity turns the venous system into a kind of storage reservoir for blood that hasn’t yet been returned to the heart.
Without movement, blood pools in the veins.
This leads to sensations of heaviness, fatigue, morning stiffness, or difficulty getting going after sitting for a long time.
While usually temporary, this state can become chronic if blood flow is regularly impaired.
Issues in the venous system are often underlying causes of conditions like herniated discs in the neck and back, abdominal problems, and headaches
What can be done?
Sedentary office work doesn’t mean game over.
If we revisit Diaz’s 2019 study, the risk comes primarily from total inactivity in life combined with sedentary work.
Over time, this combination becomes extremely dangerous.
Diaz et al. suggested that those with sedentary jobs should take an active break every 30 minutes—this small change could significantly reduce the risk of early death.
Building on that idea, incorporating physical activity and exercise into your free time can have massive benefits.
So move and train as much as you can—your workplace won’t be dangerous as long as your body stays active.
Poor circulation isn’t the only workplace risk
One in three Danes have experienced neck and shoulder pain in the past two weeks. Women, in particular, are more likely to suffer from long-term sick leave due to this.
This was part of the reason we developed our own product line at AAO—we wanted to give people a way to bring our “knowledge” home.
We ended up recording over 100 videos to support our products, which include foam rollers, massage balls, exercise mats, resistance bands, and stability balls.
An unbalanced mast causes neck and back issues
Anyone who’s sailed knows the importance of equal tension in the ropes holding a mast—everything has to be balanced for the mast to stand straight.
The same applies to your spine in a work setting.
Muscle tension on the front, sides, or back of the body—or muscular imbalances between these areas—can and will lead to discomfort on the opposite side.
Over time, this uneven strain causes physical issues.
Extended periods of sitting can result in neck pain, back problems, pelvic misalignment, and even migraines.
Conclusion
Did you make it to the end? I hope you found some value in this post.
Let’s work together to get moving more—even if that just means taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
And if this post wasn’t your thing, no worries—I’ll be back soon with one of my deepest marketing posts in a long time.
Thanks for your time—and as always, feel free to drop a comment or share your input!
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