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Posted on April 1, 2006 by Jonah Shin | Posted under Consumer Electronics
6 Ways to Reduce Back Pain Associated With Desk Jobs
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1. Lumbar support in the office chairThe lower portion of the back has a natural s curve call the lordotic curve. Without support the back has to work very hard to support the correct curvature of the spine. This leads to not only tired muscles but a weakening of the lumbar muscles, which then causes us to slough making the problem worse. Lumbar support fit this natural curve and helps the back muscles so they don't have to work so hard. It also promotes better posture. 2. Align the office chair and workspaceOnce a good ergonomic chair has been selected it is important to align the chair and the workspace, and adjusted to work in an ergonomically correct environment. The user must be able to slide the chair in close enough to position themselves correctly in front of the keyboard, mouse, and monitor, while retaining the correct position on the back and thigh support. 3. Get up and move aroundNo matter how good your chair is and how well laid out your work environment, prolonged static posture will cause back acne and muscle tension. So stand up and move around - stretch, walk, run, go get a drink from the water cooler, do jumping jacks, what ever it takes to loosen up your muscles. You should do this for at least 2 minutes every hour and twice an hour is much better if you can swing it. Stretching throughout the day will help keep your muscles and tendons limber helping you feel more comfortable and relaxed. 4. Try an unconventional office chairWhen we think about office chairs we tend to think about the traditional ergonomic chair but there are plenty of non traditional styles that are becoming more main stream. This kneeling chair is a backless style chair designed to take the pressure off the lower back. It gives the body a natural posture than the conventional chair does. There are other choices like the Swiss exercise ball which allows for fluid movement, or the swopper a stool device that promotes good posture by angling the legs downward and angling the hips forward. There is no one chair that is perfect, choose a chair that fits you right, makes you feel comfortable, and that supports your back correctly. 5. Practice good postureWe might start the day out standing tall and practicing good posture but through our busy day its pretty easy to find ourselves performing tasks that only are not in good posture form, they provide no support to our back. Have you ever found yourself slouching over your desk, how about carrying something heavy on your shoulder, or cradling the phone on your neck? When we are busy we tend not to think about our posture but we should, because good posture will help reduce back pain. 6. Avoid overprotecting postureClenching your muscles can lead to what is referred to as stiff posture. If you already suffer from back pain you are more prone to instinctively do this to protect yourself from the pain caused by movement. However doing this actually worsens the problem. Limited movement over long periods of time will increase pain, and if you continue to be protective you will land in a vicious circle. Rather than protecting those sore back muscles gently move and work them keeping them loose and flexible. This will help reduce back pain. Over 80% of the population will suffer from back pain at some time in their life. Some will heal completely, others will develop chronic back pain. Chronic pain of any kind is not easy to live with. It's like having a dull toothache every day all day long. So take precautions to keep your back healthy and follow these tips to reduce back pain associated with desk jobs. About The Author: Jonah Shin has been working in the furniture industry for more than 15 years and has experience in office furtniture. Visit Jonah's office chair website, http://www.office-chair-now.com , to learn more about office chairs. |
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