Workplace Ergonomics: How to Easily Prevent Stingy Back Pain at Work

Erin F

7 years ago

Over the last couple of decades, the nature of work has become increasingly sedentary&period; As office jobs grew increasingly common, so did a lot of posture-related as well&period; In addition to that, most workstations aren&&num;8217&semi;t set up to promote biomechanics and proper posture for employees&period; As a result, most workers spend most of their working lives in poor postural positions that have an adverse effect and is responsible for most of their back pains after working&period;&NewLine;If you have an office-related job, you need to become much more aware of the fact that good posture is essential especially in workstations&period;&NewLine;<h2>Possible Cause of Back Pain at Work</h2>&NewLine;Many causes contribute significantly to back pain at work&period; Here are some examples&colon;&NewLine;Force- Exerting too much force on the back such as moving and lifting heavy objects may cause pain or injury&period;&NewLine;Repetition- Repeating certain movements, such as rotating and twisting the spine, can also be a primary reason why the back is injured&period;&NewLine;Inactivity- A desk or a sedentary job can also be common causes of back pain&period; For example, sustaining poor posture and sitting all day without adequate back support&period;&NewLine;<h2>Paying Attention to Your Posture When you Work</h2>&NewLine;<img class="aligncenter wp-image-1517 size-medium" src="https&colon;//incrediblemag&period;com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/clarisa-guerra-660773-unsplash-1220x813&period;jpg" alt="" width="1220" height="813" />&NewLine;When you&&num;8217&semi;re working 8 hours or more daily, sitting on a desk, it&&num;8217&semi;s crucial to keep in mind to always maintain the spine in a neutral position&period; Also, minimize looking sideways, up and down for extended periods&period; More often than not, these positions can significantly put stress and strain on both your neck and back&period;&NewLine;When sitting, keep in mind to keep your feet planted on the ground and avoid crossing your legs&period; Doing so keeps back pains and injuries at bay&period;&NewLine;Here are also some considerations that you should pay attention to&colon;&NewLine;Desk- At a height where elbows are bent at a 90-degree angle especially when typing&period;&NewLine;Computer monitor- Raised, and the eyes should be looking at the upper 1/3 of the screen&period;&NewLine;Chair- Ideally, it must have five wheels, and easily adjustable when it comes to height&period; The back must be flexible, with an option to stay erect or tilt it in different degrees&period; The back of the chair must also have adequate lumbar support which can be adjusted to customize its location&period;&NewLine;Seat Depth- Can be adjusted to allow at least 2-3 finger-widths between the upper calves and the chair&period; Moreover, the knees should be bent on a 90-degree angle, and the feet should touch the floor&period;&NewLine;Armrests- Should be adjustable&period; They shouldn&&num;8217&semi;t be too far from the body, or else, may also contribute to slouching&period; &NewLine;<h2>Taking Precautions When Lifting</h2>&NewLine;If most of your job duties involved frequent lifting, one effective way to prevent back pain is developing a proper lifting technique&period; During lifting, do not try to attempt to lift by bending forward&period; Also both the hips and knees should be bent, and not the back&period; As much as possible, keep the object close to your body, as you straighten up your legs to lift&period;&NewLine;Moreover, when lifting or holding a heavy object, avoid twisting or turning your back or raising it above shoulder level&period; &NewLine;<h2>Taking Breaks</h2>&NewLine;<img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1518" src="https&colon;//incrediblemag&period;com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/adult-2398561&lowbar;1920-1220x813&period;jpg" alt="" width="1220" height="813" />&NewLine;Taking frequent breaks, such as moving around and standing up helps ease the tension in your muscles&period; So try it â see to it that every hour, you take a quick 5-minute break to stretch and walk around for a bit&period; You can also try taking short 15 second breaks in between tasks&period; Use these short-periods to your advantage to stand up and stretch&period;&NewLine;Sitting on an office chair might be simple, it&&num;8217&semi;s also very fatiguing&period; An alarm is one of the easiest ways to be accountable to yourself&period; Set a silent alarm that goes off every hour or every 30 minutes&period; That way, even if it&&num;8217&semi;s impossible for you at times to stand up and take a quick stretching break, it serves as a reminder for you that you&&num;8217&semi;re sitting on your office chair for too long&period; &NewLine;<h2>Increasing your Calcium and Vitamin D Intake</h2>&NewLine;Do you know that having calcium and vitamin D deficiency are one of the leading causes of osteoporosis&quest; Osteoporosis, in turn, is one of the most common causes of back pain as you age, especially if you&&num;8217&semi;re a woman&period;&NewLine;To keep the bones in your spine healthy and strong, you should consume food that is rich in calcium and vitamin D&period; &NewLine;Foods rich in calcium are&colon;&NewLine;<ul>&NewLine;<li style="font-weight&colon; 400&semi;">leafy vegetables</li>&NewLine;<li style="font-weight&colon; 400&semi;">milk</li>&NewLine;<li style="font-weight&colon; 400&semi;">seeds</li>&NewLine;<li style="font-weight&colon; 400&semi;">cheese</li>&NewLine;<li style="font-weight&colon; 400&semi;">yogurt</li>&NewLine;<li style="font-weight&colon; 400&semi;">beans</li>&NewLine;<li style="font-weight&colon; 400&semi;">almonds</li>&NewLine;<li style="font-weight&colon; 400&semi;">sardines and canned salmon</li>&NewLine;</ul>&NewLine;Foods rich in vitamin D are&colon;&NewLine;<ul>&NewLine;<li style="font-weight&colon; 400&semi;">fatty fish</li>&NewLine;<li style="font-weight&colon; 400&semi;">egg Yolks</li>&NewLine;<li style="font-weight&colon; 400&semi;">cheese</li>&NewLine;<li style="font-weight&colon; 400&semi;">foods that are rich in fortified vitamin D (dairy products, cereals, soy milk, and orange juice)</li>&NewLine;</ul>&NewLine;<h2>Consider Replacing Your Shoes</h2>&NewLine;Another cause of back pain that lead to misalignment of the spine and poor posture is the kind of shoes that you use&period; Shoes play an important role in both spine and hip alignment because it serves as the base for the rest of your body&period; Try getting supportive shoes instead, to accommodate your feet&&num;8217&semi;s biomechanics&period; Doing so can significantly reduce the cause of your back pain&period;&NewLine;<h2>Lighten your load</h2>&NewLine;Sometimes, you tend to stuff a variety of items in your bag from your laptop to the assortment of snacks, beauty items, and other essentials&period; But do you know that too many people suffer aches and pains that stem from carrying too much weight around&quest;&NewLine;It&&num;8217&semi;s true â too much weight can also be detrimental to the body&period; It can lead to problems later on such as scoliosis, osteoarthritis, tension headaches, muscle strains, and nerve trauma&period; &NewLine;<h2>Consult a Professional Help</h2>&NewLine;Back pain may usually go away on its own, but there are times that you need to seek out the help of a medical professional&period; If you&&num;8217&semi;re already experiencing back pain, follow some of the discussed tips above and consider seeking out a specialist near you&period;&NewLine;According to Ontario Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Centre&period; Consulting a professional is always the best answer whenever you feel something in your body&period; Seeking expert advice can save you from both physical and financial damage&period;&NewLine;&nbsp&semi;&NewLine;