Q: I work at a desk all day. It has been two years now and I am starting to get neck pain, tension headaches and back pain pretty much all of the time now. Can I get out of pain and still have this job?
A: It is reasonable to continue your job and not be miserable. Lets look at some possible fixes. Doctors of Chiropractic warn that if you do not sit in an appropriate work chair, you could very possibly hurt your back, neck, legs or shoulders. The seat should be at least one inch wider than your hips and thighs on either side. If the seat is too long for your legs, it will either catch you behind the knees or keep you from leaning back against the lumbar support. Most ergonomic chairs have a waterfall front preventing the seat from catching the person behind the knees.
The height of the chair is also important. Adjust the seat so that your feet sit firmly on the ground. You should not have to use a footrest, but if needed then use a box to keep your knees at 90 degrees and your feet stable. When you sit back, the cushioned lumbar supports should fit comfortably to your shape. Many chairs are also wide enough to provide upper-back and mid-back support.
Chairs that recline slightly backward will also help provide the support to maintain a healthy spine. You should be able to sit in your chair for an hour or two without having any discomfort from the seat or back.
Don’t forget that your workstation has to allow you to be able to sit correctly so that your phone, computer screen, keyboard or mouse are not too far away, eventually forcing you to sit incorrectly.
At the end of the day, no one can sit correctly for an entire work shift. A great tool I have found to effortlessly force you into a healthy sitting position is called the “Nada Chair”. This takes the work out of ergonomics and removes the hunt for an expensive “ergo chair”.
All of this being said, there is no greater population of “maintenance” patient in my office than the desk jockey. Sitting is not what our bodies are made for, so if you want to continue to work a desk job and not have pain and headache all the time, you need to make friends with a good chiropractor and they will keep you pain free and at work!
Make an appointment with a great chiropractor to start feeling better.
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