If you’re an office worker, then you may spend the majority of your time at a desk. While your brain may be working overtime to meet a deadline or get things done, your body isn’t as active.
Jobs where we spend hours sitting may be considered “easier” on the body than jobs that require physical labor. However, this is not always true; in fact, there are health risks associated with both physically demanding jobs and sedentary office jobs.
Consider your body as a machine, with an engine that needs to run. Your muscles and joints are designed to move; they’re your internal cogs that need regular greasing. If a car is left stationary in the garage for too long, and not being routinely maintained, it might be slower to start and it may even begin to get a little bit rusty.
The same goes for your body. You know the feeling of finally sitting down after a busy day on your feet – there’s nothing better. Except perhaps the feeling of getting out of a car after a lengthy drive, or getting out of your seat after a long haul flight. The lesson here is that your body is not designed to stay in one spot all day – sitting, standing or otherwise.
Sedentary office workers commonly experience sore wrists from typing, achy shoulders caused by poor posture or stress, and neck and lower back pain from sitting. Can chiropractors help with back pain? Indeed, if you’re feeling a bit rusty, we can tailor our range of treatments to help improve back pain and other common ailments experienced by office workers.
Prevent poor posture
We’re all guilty of slouching in our office chairs. As the work day goes on, our backs curl over and our shoulders hunch. Working at a desk for hours at a time like this will lead to lower back pain while sitting, and other aches in your muscles and joints.
- Sit and stand. Alternate between sitting and standing to help prevent poor posture. A standing desk will help with your posture as you work. We’re also built to stand up; our internal systems, like our heart and lungs, work better when we are upright.
- Take regular breaks. If you don’t have access to a standing desk, take breaks, even if it’s just a short walk to grab a glass of water or a coffee. There are apps that remind you to take regular breaks, or simply schedule yourself a calendar reminder or alarm.
- Get the support you need. A chiropractor for back pain can help you understand correct desk posture, and we may suggest additional supports, like cushions for your lumbar (or lower) spine, which may help to provide back pain relief. Our manual manipulations and spinal adjustments will also ensure that your joints are aligned, helping you maintain a straight spine whether you’re sitting or standing.
Relieve tension in the neck and shoulders
Office workers often suffer from neck and shoulder pain, particularly from the weight of your head on your neck and shoulders if it’s not held in the correct position.
We also hold a lot of tension in this part of our body, and if you’re having a particularly stressful time at work you may find your neck and shoulders become stiff and sore.
When you visit us at Gateway to Wellness, our massage and manual manipulations will aid in relieving neck and shoulder tension. We may also provide you with a tailored program of gentle exercises designed to lengthen and strengthen your muscles, and that you can use at home to move your body and help release tension.
Banish back pain
We’ve discussed poor posture and tension in the neck and shoulders, and these both may feed into back pain. Other office-related causes of back pain include sitting for long periods of time, an uncomfortable chair or poorly positioned screen.
- Check your desk. Along with visiting a chiropractor for back pain, make sure that you have an ergonomically set up desk – this will make sure that you are sitting comfortably during workday.
- Seek natural back pain relief. If you do experience back pain while sitting, chiropractic care is a natural alternative to help you reduce lower back pain. While pain relief medication will minimize soreness, it won’t address the underlying causes of the pain.
Our chiropractic care is a natural, medication-free solution that will gently adjust and realign your spine helping you find back pain relief in the short term, while also addressing the longer term causes of the pain.
Stress less
Work can be stressful and days can be long. For most of us, we’ll be working for much of our lives. Feeling productive at work is an essential part of a life well lived, but productivity is severely impacted if you are in pain, and pain can exacerbate your work stress.
As chiropractors we treat your muscles, bones and joints – poor posture, shoulder tension and lower back pain while sitting are all symptoms that we can address. Let us help you prioritize the health of your spine and entire musculoskeletal system so that you can focus on being productive and stress-free at work. Get in touch today.
