Frequent pain in the back or neck is often caused by prolonged sitting. In most cases, it is a common health problem by office workers. If you work in an office, you know how it is. You come to work early in the morning, and sometimes, you don’t have time even to take a short walk until it is time to go home. In many cases, there is so much work that you have to take it home to complete.
Thus, most of the time, you are spending sitting and either typing or writing. In a sitting position, your back is bent unnaturally. The neck is also not in its natural position because you have to hold your head bent, too, watching on the screen.
That’s why the muscles and joints get stiff, and then, they start aching. You can consider it a protest against keeping them bent.
There is one more highly negative factor about it. Your brain gets oxygen carried through the main arteries that pass in the neck. When the neck is bent, the blood circulation gets worse. Thus, your brain stops getting the needed volumes of oxygen. You feel it immediately with the arrival of a strong headache. With time, constant migraines might develop.
These are just a couple of issues an office worker has to face. Though even these problems don’t sound encouraging, and some solutions you might find on websites like this.
It is possible to eliminate these issues or to prevent them with some simple steps.
Get a Height-Adjustable Desk
Such a simple thing as a height-adjustable desk can solve the main issues. The thing is that if you have a chance to get up without interrupting your work, you will use it for the benefit of your health. In a standing position, you can stretch all your muscles and joints. Your back has a chance to rest in the natural position, and the blood circulation recovers.
Thus, such problems as pain in the back and the neck will be eliminated.
Make sure though you don’t overdo with your new desk. Standing too long can be extremely tiring, too. Thus, it is recommended to interchange the positions for a better effect.
Don’t Count on Your Desk Only, Exercise
A height-adjustable desk alone might prevent some issues or eliminate them if they aren’t too severe. However, if you want to achieve a long-lasting positive effect, just sitting and standing is not enough.
There are some useful exercises that you can do directly at your height-adjustable desk. They are developed to be done without even having to stop work. While some of them are quite basic, there are also some advanced exercises that can replace a complex workout.
If you aren’t fit enough to move to complex exercises that require some physical strength and skills, you can start with very basic ones:
- Get up. As slowly as you can, raise on your toes. Wait in this position. Then, as slowly as it is possible, stand on your entire feet. Repeat as many times as it is ok for you.
- This exercise is done in a sitting position. Thus, sit down. Lift your leg. It shall be at the level of your hip. Hold it in this position 10-15 seconds. Return it to the initial position. Repeat the same with the other leg. You can repeat this exercise 5-10 times until you get tired.
- The next exercise can be done both in a sitting and in a standing position. Clasp your hands behind your back. Stretch them. Your chest shall straighten. This exercise relaxes perfectly the muscles of your chest and back. Your wrists also get a proper stretch which allows preventing tunnel syndrome.
Once you feel that you can move to more complicated exercises, you can try the following options:
- Push-ups are a standard physical exercise that helps greatly to improve your well-being and become physically fit. You can adjust your desk to hold onto its edge and do the exercise conveniently. With time, you can lower the height to increase the complexity level.
- Chair dips are one of the pretty demanding exercises. Sit on the edge of your office chair. Hold with your hands onto the chair, hands are placed behind your back. Slowly, lift your body slightly and move down as close to the floor as you can. Lift your body and sit down back on the chair.
While all the exercises are beneficial, don’t forget that exaggerating is never healthy. If during an exercise, you feel pain, it means that something is going wrong. Don’t try to do as many repetitions as you can, you shall feel comfortable. Only if you use all the tips wisely and moderately, you can count on positive results without damaging yourself.