One of the major side effects of working in the office is the tendency to develop a sedentary lifestyle. As a result of sitting for hours, our back muscles tend to deteriorate and malfunction. Also, we rarely exercise. Gone are the days where almost everyone was physically fit to do the almost everything. We even find ourselves getting out breath for making a few meter run.In this article, we will take an in-depth look at back pain.
Back pain, if not treated, it can aggress into osteoporosis or paralysis.
What is back pain?
Back pain is a common ailment we feel on our lower back that may be connected to the bony lumbar spine, discs between the vertebrae, spinal cord and nerves, and lower back muscles. It is incredibly painful the moment it attacks. Back pain, if not treated, it can aggress into osteoporosis or paralysis. Back pain can halt our mobility altogether if we don’t do something to prevent it.
But the question is how to prevent back pain? Here are our top tips to help you ease and eventually prevent lower back pains from recurring.
Set a medical appointment with your attending physician
If you’ve experienced some back pains at some point, it’s better to seek professional help immediately. This is because your doctor would be able to know what’s best for you. He or she can evaluate how serious your back pain is. Based on the results, he can then recommend safe exercises for you.
Step away from your screen
Most of the time, back pain attacks when we’re slouched in front of the tv or PC. The frequency of attacks increases when we sit in the wrong posture because the tension in our muscles is not distributed evenly.
That’s why if possible, try to limit your screen exposure. It also helps if you take some breaks in between your screen sessions. A 5-minute break per hour and some stretching will do.
Adjust your work ergonomics
Video gamers and PC addicts are not the only ones prone to back pains. Office workers are prone to back pains too, especially if they work on their desks hunched over their computers. To prevent back pain, you need to adjust your workstation to be ergonomic friendly.
To improve your workstation, position your computer monitor at an eye level at least 20 inches away from your face. Invest in a comfortable chair with armrests and good lower back support. Keep your head and neck in line with your torso and your shoulders relaxed. While you work, keep elbows close to your body, and your forearms and wrists parallel to the floor.
Get some low-impact exercise
When you’re in pain, exercise might be the last thing you’d want to do. However, exercise is an effective mechanism against back pains. Think about it this way, after you exercise, you feel sore all over. But that’s actually because your muscles are building up. Therefore, you should continue exercising or else all your effort will be in vain. Exercise until your body adapts such that you no longer feel sore.
Your back also works the same way. To prevent back pains from recurring, you need to do to exercise to help stretch and ease the tension away. Some of the low-impact exercises we recommend are:
Brisk walking.
Swimming.
Yoga or tai chi.
Dancing.
These low-impact exercises can help you boost your fitness, lose weight, as well as enhance the strength and flexibility of your back.
