Ways to avoid Back Pain

Most of our work positions are sedentary, impacting our lifestyle and health. Staring at the computer screen from 10 to 6 is a routine that causes mental and heart problems. Apart from this, pain in the eyes, neck, back, and lower back is common in people who sit 8 hours on the computer. Muscles burn less fat, allowing fatty acids to clog the heart and increase the risk of high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol. Such people are at a higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and obesity.

Moreover, sitting at your desk for hours can make your brain foggy and reduce cognitive abilities. When our body moves, muscles pump fresh blood and oxygen through the brain. However, a stable position slows down the brain’s working process.

Continuous sitting:

It is difficult and somewhat impossible for anyone to avoid using computers because of work pressure and other personal reasons. Using computers in a sedentary position for extended periods can wreak one’s posture and lead to back pain. This problem is common and affects most people at some point in their lifetime. You can experience dull aches and sharp or burning sensations in the back that originate from the muscles, nerves, bones, joints, or other structures in the spine. The pain may radiate into the arms, hands, legs, feet, neck, and lower back.

Elaborating back pain:

Sitting at your desk all day long is not good for your overall health and can lead to back pain. In various studies, it has been proved that sitting in one position increases pressure on the disks supporting the spine, which bends your spine in a bent forward position and may cause the back muscles to stop working efficiently. Moreover, back pain is the fifth most common reason for physician visits in the United States. Most cases of back pain are caused by bad seating positions at work or school, slouching postures, and over-stretching.

Dealing with back pain at the office:

Below are some of the simple stretching exercises that help in eliminating back pain:

• Just stand up and sit down – Keep stretching your body just by standing up or sitting down (over and over) without using your hands.
• Leg extensions – You just have to grab the seat of your chair and brace yourself by extending your legs straight out in front of you. Just flex and point your toes five times and then release. This exercise will help in reducing back strain.
• Stretch your back and shoulders – You can do a leg hug by sitting on the edge of your chair and putting it against the desk or wall. Lean over your chest to the knees by putting your feet together, flat on the floor. After that, bring your hands behind your legs by grasping the left wrist with the right-hand forearm and the left hand grasping the right.

Neck Pain

Neck pain or stiffness is common among office workers and usually gets better in a few days. Sleeping in an awkward position and working on a computer keyboard for a prolonged period are the main reasons for a stiff neck. Neck pain is caused by pain and stiffness in the back.

Preventions:

If you’re experiencing neck pain or you would like to prevent it, do the below-mentioned exercises as many times a day as possible. Each exercise session will not take more than five minutes. You can start with:

• Neck retraction – You can exercise while lying face up or sitting down. All you need to do is bring your head straight back, keeping your eyes on the horizon. Then, return to the neutral position. Repeat this exercise at least 10 times to feel relaxed.
• Side bend – In this exercise, you must sit down and retract your neck. Gently guide the right ear to the right shoulder with your right hand and stop whenever you feel stretched on the left side of your neck.

Lower back pain:

Sitting in an office chair for long periods may cause lower back pain because static posture increases stress in the back, shoulders, arms, and legs and adds large amounts of pressure to the back muscles and spinal discs. Further, lower back pain is generated when people slouch over or slouch in the chair, which overstretches their spinal ligaments and strains the discs. It has been reported that lower back pain alone causes 40% of missed days of work in the United States and is the single leading cause of disability around the world.

How to prevent lower back pain:

Various stretches and exercises are mentioned below to deal with lower back pain at the office or at home:

• Keep your feet flat on the floor – To achieve good and effective results, try to keep your feet flat on the floor. This exercise depends on how high your chair is. Keep adjusting the height of your chair at your convenience.
• Change posture at intervals – Sitting in the same position for long hours is unhealthy. Try to maintain an upright position for most of the day.
• Find time to stand – After an hour of work, take a 5-minute break and go for a short walk.
• Adjust your chair armrests – Adjust the armrests of the chair so they lift your shoulders slightly. It is very helpful because a little lift can support your wrists.

How to sit at work to avoid back pain?

Ergonomics helps the human body promote productivity and health. This term is often used in workplaces and offices because people who sit for 8 hours a day are especially prone to injury from unhealthy postures. Below are some tips and suggestions that you can do to adjust your desk and sit healthily:

• Stay active to reduce back pain – No matter how comfortable your chair is, prolonged static posture is not good for the back, so avoid keeping the back in one position for a long period.
• Monitor within reach—Keep your monitor about an arm’s length away or slightly below eye level. This will encourage you to sit back and reduce back and neck strain.
• Buy a headset if you talk on the phone a lot. People talk on mobile phones, holding them between their chin and shoulder, which is extremely bad for the cervical spine and can result in neck pain or a repetitive stress injury. Instead, you can use headphones.