Standing up to work-place aches and pains

,

Do you come away from work complaining of a sore neck or back?

 

Have you noticed that your posture deteriorates when you’ve been sitting for a long time?

 

The majority of people with a desk-based job spend way too long sitting, and often complain about being uncomfortable. Did you know that our bodies weren’t designed to be sitting for long periods at a time? When we sit, we place compressive load on the structures in our spine, such as the discs and joints, and sustained sitting can also result in shortening of certain muscles, such as our hip flexors and pectoral muscles.

 

While it can be helpful to have your workstation set up ‘ergonomically’ and specifically to you, this is unlikely to stop the aches and pains when you’ve been sitting for hours on end. While we try our best to get the best chair/desk/computer set-up there is unfortunately not much evidence to support the use of ergonomic interventions that supposedly help fend off work-related musculoskeletal complaints. This is explained in detail in this article by Liam Mannix in the Sydney Morning Herald questioning the minimal evidence to support ergonomic interventions.

The reality is that we need to move more!

 

Standing desks are becoming more popular these days, but as with sitting, being stuck in a standing position for too long can also cause posture-related issues. So whether you’re standing or sitting at a desk, it’s important to incorporate frequent breaks during the day to get up and move and avoid being stuck in one position for too long. This can be as simple as getting up to go to the printer, to get a glass of water or to speak to a colleague rather than sending them an email. If you aim to do this every 45-60min then you will feel better for it!

 

If you have any neck, arm or back pain that seems to be related to your posture while at work, have a chat to one of our physiotherapists about how you can incorporate some easy exercises or stretches into your working day to keep those posture related aches and pains at bay. Book online Today!

 

Written by Laura Anderson

Thank you for reading our blog, please see our disclaimer here.  For more information please contact our friendly receptionists on (03) 9878 8088.

 

References:
https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/health-and-wellness/a-difficult-position-experts-question-whether-ergonomics-holds-up-20180910-p502w5.html