Alleviate Back and Neck Pain at the Office

Do you experience pain at work? How about tightness in your muscles? Tension? Stress? If you work in an office and haven’t experienced any of these things, you’re lucky. 80% of people experience some form of back pain in their lifetime, and the incidence of neck pain are close to that. The good thing is that there are a variety of things you can do to prevent some of these issues, or to help deal with them should they occur.
Our bodies were meant to move. These movements should occur often, and were meant to be dynamic. This means that type of movement should be different or change frequently. Constant repetitive movements can eventually lead to injury. Everything from typing at a computer, to playing a sport all day involve repetitive movements. Believe it or not, even sitting is a repetitive motion according to how your body and muscle system behaves – your postural muscles are constantly working to support your spine. Over a time period, your muscles become tired, and if stressed enough (without adequate recovery), you can experience headaches, fatigue, tension, and other pain. Muscle aches and pains at the office can be managed successfully. If you are feeling better, you enjoy your work more and you are more productive.
Here are some simple tips to manage and prevent back and neck pain at the office.

  • Make sure your workstation is ergonomic – proper posture while sitting will help take stress off of your muscles and help you feel better for longer.
  • Take frequent breaks – the longer your body spends doing one specific activity, the greater chance of injury. Switch from sitting to standing, use an earpiece and walk around while talking on the phone. Need to ask a co-worker something? Get up and walk over to them rather than phone or texting. We usually recommend getting up from sitting once every 45-60 minutes. It doesn’t need to be long – 5 minutes is enough time to give your muscles and joints a break.
  • Stretch often throughout the day – paying attention to tight muscles and doing some gentle stretching throughout the day can help relieve pain and discomfort. Good areas to stretch include the neck, forearms, back and shoulders.
  • Get regular exercise – Just because work is done, doesn’t mean your body stops working. A regular strengthening and stretching program outside of work can help keep your mobility full, muscles strong, and help you maintain endurance and prevent injury. Make sure to have a good posture while you are at home.
  • Get plenty of rest – 6-8 hours of solid sleep is preferred. Our body needs this amount of time to reset, and to repair injured tissue to be prepared for the next day.
  • Decrease stress – muscle tension and aches and pains have been shown to increase under periods of stress. Remember to relax in whatever way you like to relax. Listen to music, meditate, yoga, an evening walk, can all help calm the mind and help you and your muscles feel better.

Dr. Matthew Serrick is a chiropractor at Back In Balance Clinic in downtown Toronto. In addition to his chiropractic training, Dr. Serrick has a special focus on work disability prevention. If you’d like more information on how you can feel better at the office, send an email to dr.serrick@backinbalanceclinic.com or check out the rest of Alternative Medicine in Toronto.