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Back Pain
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 vertebral 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.
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