It’s been a while since you’ve gone into the office. Because of the pandemic, you’ve grown accustomed to working at home, where you almost always feel comfortable. Needless to say, it’ll be an adjustment going back to your workspace. You’re excited to see people face to face again, but you dread experiencing the familiar back and neck pain associated with having a desk job. It doesn’t have to be this way! Here are some tricks to preventing this discomfort so that you can enjoy going back to work in the office.
Have Good Posture
Your mother was right about sitting up straight. It may seem tedious to maintain good posture, but it could save you a lot of pain later on. Whenever you sit and work at a desk, put your feet flat on the floor, with your knees bent at a 90 degree angle. Keep your spine straight and have your shoulders comfortably rolled back. You may need to adjust the height of your desk chair and make other ergonomic changes to your workspace to be more conducive to proper posture.
Your screen’s height and orientation can also play a role in your posture. If you’re not paying attention to your posture, you can find yourself leaning with your head brought forward. If you have a separate monitor, you have the ability to change your screens’ height to be just below eye level. you work on a laptop, you may have less flexibility in adjustments, but you can make sure your head remains aligned with your spine to avoid pain.
Stand Up and Walk Around
Your body was designed for movement, not staying in the exact same position for hours and hours. Doing so only makes your muscles stiff and more prone to injury and pain. About every hour, you need to stand up, stretch, and take a short walk around the office. These little breaks will help you stay alert, help your body stay loose, and help you keep good posture throughout the day.
Most companies these days are aware of and willing to make accommodations to provide a safer worker environment. You can request an adjustable desk, if available, and stand for part of your workday!
Avoid Using Your Phone
Most of the time when you text or check your social media, you look down at the screen. Every once in a while, this posture may not cause neck, shoulder, or back pain. However, did you know that the average cellphone user touches their phone 2,617 times every day? And that Americans spend about 5.4 hours on their phones daily? At this point in modern society, it’s impossible to stay away from phone usage entirely, but you can try to reduce the time you spend looking down. Instead, raise the phone to be more at eye level so that your head can be comfortably balanced where it should be.
Ultimately, if you sit at a desk, you don’t have to suffer with back and neck pain. By making some slight adjustments and smart choices, you can get your work done without causing harm to your body.
About the Author
Dr. Zinovy Chukhman, or Dr. Z as he prefers, is one of few chiropractors in the Richardson area to be certified by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners. He excels in rehabilitation methods, including Graston, Gonstead, and Thompson techniques. If you have questions for avoiding neck and back pain at work, you can schedule an appointment with Dr. Z at AlignRight Chiropractic through our website or by calling 972-907-2800.
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