Avoid back pain in the office with these tips
As the world becomes increasingly reliant on technology, for many people working longer hours, leaning over laptops, iPads and other utilities has become a day-to-day ‘normality.’
It’s fantastic the way that technology has progressed as in many ways it makes our lives easier; however the impact that it is having on our spinal health is not as good.
Sitting at a desk and leaning over a laptop for hours on end are well-known causes of back, neck and shoulder pain. People spend hours sitting hunched over and spend increasingly less time moving around – something that is extremely important to maintain good blood circulation around the body.
It can also lead to poor posture. This might seem insignificant; however posture is extremely important. How are body holds itself up not only has an aesthetic impact on how we look and how confident we feel, but it also has a major impact on the positioning of our muscles and organs. We don’t want them to become deformed or squished together. If this happens frequently, it can lead to worse problems over time.
To put it into perspective, when you travel on a plane, you are advised to exercise during the flight to encourage blood circulation and to avoid getting Deep Vein Thrombosis – something that can be caused by sitting in the same position for long periods of time. If this is the case for one plane journey, it is easy to see why it is important to practice similar exercises in the office, as this is the place that you put your body at risk daily. You don’t want to get Repetitive Strain Injury now do you?!
Here are my top tips for improving your posture and managing good spinal health during your working day.
1) Work your abs
Excess fat around your stomach means that your back isn’t getting enough support from your abdominal muscles. The abdominal muscles are supposed to support the lower back and give it stability. However, if you have an overhanging tummy this will pull the back into an arched position and lead to back problems.
Top Tip: Instead of toning up your stomach with sit-ups, try high fat-burning activities instead. E.g. Running, cycling and swimming.
2) Use a mouse instead of your laptop’s touch pad.
Using a touchpad is bad for your neck and shoulders. It means you have to move your hands inwards and across your body to use it and this can make your shoulders and neck very tight. By using a mouse, your arms are in the correct positions and given the freedom to move around more, thus relaxing your neck and shoulder muscles.
3) Position your body to minimize the risk of back pain
When working at your laptop, position your body so that it forms 90 degree angles at your elbows, knees and hips. Keep your eyes looking straight at the top third of the screen. This should help you to avoid getting neck and shoulder pain caused by having incorrect neck and shoulder posture too.
4) Stretch
Try to get up from your workstation and stretch twice every hour. It doesn’t need to take long and will help to refresh your tired body. Some examples are:
- Stretching your arms towards the ceiling
- Rotating your trunk from side to side
- Shoulder rolls
- Stretching your shoulders and tilting your neck in all directions
- Lunges
This is very important. If you don’t move around regularly, the pressure on your spinal discs will build up. The spinal discs form the cushions for your back and by sitting down for long periods of time, you can damage them. Try to walk around once every 30 mins, even if it’s just during a phone call.
5) Assess your posture
This doesn’t take long to do and it’s much better to keep an eye on the problem before it develops. Here are some tips to start you off.
- Get a friend to take a photo of you from the side when you are standing casually and when you feel that you are standing upright to attention. With the huge variety of camera phones available, it’s easy to download an APP to help you monitor the photos easily. I like YouGossip as it’s free and easy to use. You can download it for free on iTunes or at www.yougossip.co.uk
- Stand with your head, back and bottom against a wall and feeling where the back touches and where it curls away in the neck and lower back.
Follow Dr. Martin Knight at www.spinal-foundation.org or on Twitter @DrMartinKnight
Tagged in back pain