Back Care In The Office

Back and neck pain have become more prevalent in today’s working environment with increasingly longer periods spent sitting at work. Work stations have been set up to cause minimum disruption to the working day which means less time getting up from the desk.

Cause
Sitting puts greater pressure on the spinal discs than any other position, leading to bulging of the discs which in turn can press on the nerves causing pain. In addition poor posture, such as slouching or sitting with the head flexed for a long time as when reading documents on the desk, can result in weakness of the supporting muscles of the spine, which can lead to greater instability of the verte- bral joints and greater risk of a disc bulge.

Prevention

• Correct set up of the work station
• Getting up from the desk frequently
• Exercise to strengthen core muscles

Correct work station

• Sit close to the desk. Sit at elbow height to the desk so that an upright posture is maintained
• Have the back rest of the chair in touch with and supporting the back
• Have the monitor directly in front and at a height such that the centre of the screen is at eye level
• Keep the mouse and keyboard sufficiently close so that the arms are not stretching too far to the back of the desk thereby encouraging the back to stoop.
• Use a document holder or writing board if there is a lot of paper work to be read and amended

Get up from the desk
Three times an hour, even if it is only for 30 seconds, to relieve the pressure on the spine. Use natural breaks to do this such as, once a task has been completed before moving onto the next, or at the end of a phone call etc.

Exercise
Pilates type exercises will help to strengthen the core muscles to give better stability to the back and neck

Pilates
We have fully qualified Pilates teachers amongst our physiotherapists. We hold regular classes in the clinics but we are also able to run sessions within the office, as we only have small classes of max , 6 people.( With larger classes the therapist is unable to give the individual attention required to make Pilates effective).

Talks and training
We run a series of talks aimed at improving awareness of;
Back care and ergonomics
Walk for fitness using a pedometer to encourage more walking.
Hydration with exercise explaining the importance of correct hydration when exercising and in particular when running marathons etc.