Work Place Ergonomics 101

I have had several people complain to me that they sit for a huge portion of the day for work.  As more and more desk jobs arise, I have an increase in the number of patients with neck and back pain related to sitting at work.  Along with these issues, I also hear about “Carpal Tunnel Syndrome” and so many people I know have had surgery to correct this chronic injury, however, it can come back if the main source of the problem is really stemming from the neck and sitting posture.  Other injuries associated with poor posture include, but are not limited to, elbow and wrist tendonitis, shoulder pain and impingement, disc herniations, and sciatic nerve irritation. Below I will discuss proper sitting posture, as well as suggestions for promoting this during the work day.  Also, I will let you know the benefits of seeing a physical therapist for injuries related to poor posture. 

First off, I will review sitting posture that I talked about in the last blog about body mechanics, but I will show a picture below of proper sitting mechanics while at a desk that I found from a website on Google. (http://www.fitsugar.com/Sitting-101-Desk-Ergonomics-1669975)

• Adjust your chair so your hips are resting between 90-120 degrees.  If your feet do not touch the floor, you will need to use a foot rest.  (books tend to work nicely)
• Make sure your lower back is supported promoting its natural curve as shown above.  A lumbar roll or rolled up towel will do the trick. When your low back is in good alignment, it promotes positive aligment above and below. 
• Elbows should be bent between 90-120 degrees with your arms next to the side of your body.  Wrists should be straight, so your keyboard and chair height may need to be adjusted to promote this alignment.
• Ears should be in line with your shoulders and your shoulder blades should be squeezed gently together to promote an upright posture, as discussed in last week's blog. 
• Keep objects you use the most closest to you, so you are not repetitively reaching for them and straining your arms and neck. 
• I suggest getting a headset for your phone if you answer a lot of phone calls to decrease the likelihood of injuring your neck. 
• The top of your computer screen should be at eye level so you don't have to continuosly flex your neck downward to look at it. 
• Avoid crossing your legs during the day for prolonged periods of time because this interrupts proper pelvic and back alignment and can cause injury to occur. 

These are all good suggestions on how to improve sitting posture throughout the day.  Keep in mind, however, that sitting for longer than 30 minutes is tough on your body.  Pain is felt when your body senses danger.  Everybody senses pain differently and at varying intensities, depending on your body's perception of danger.  Sensors in the body send signals to your brain telling you to do something about this pain you are having. Most office workers and people that sit for prolonged periods throughout the day may sense pain mainly because of lack of movement. Your body was made to move and in order to flush out the waste products your body creates throughout the day, you need to move to increase blood flow to your muscles and rid these waste products.  It may sound silly, but even just making a bunch of random movements in your office during the day is better than sitting completely still for hours upon end.  Every 15 minutes or so you should get up and stretch or walk around your cubicle or office.  If you feel pain, listen to your body and move around.  If you ignore it, it can result in the injuries I listed above.  Below are some gentle quick exercises you can perform to increase movement throughout the day.

• Shoulder shrugs - Move your shoulders up and down, as well is in a clockwise or counter-clockwise pattern.
• Neck stretches - Gently move your neck in all directions to help increase mobility throughout the day. (neck circles work nicely!) Tilt it to the side for 30 seconds and then to the other side to stretch the upper trapezius muscle at the top of your shoulders. 
• Shoulder blade squeezes - Gently squeeze shoulder blades down and back and tuck your chin so your head lines up with your shoulders as discussed in my first blog post about body mechanics.
• Ankle pumps - Move your ankles up and down and around in circles to increase blood flow to your legs. 

If you have pain that won't go away with movement or stretching, or have any numbness or tingling in your arms or legs, it is recommended that you seek intervention to prevent further injury from occuring.  Like I said earlier, your body is in pain because it senses danger, so think of it as a warning sign that you need to get it fixed.  If your "check engine" light in your car goes off, you get it looked at right? Otherwise you don't know what could happen...your car could break down and you could get stranded somewhere...the possibilities are endless. Think of this pain as your "check engine" light....go get it looked at and prevent what could happen in the near future! You only get one body, so you wanna be sure it lasts a long time.  Below I will list some of the benefits to coming to physical therapy for this pain that you may be experiencing.

Benefits of PT:

• We evaluate the whole picture and not only treat the issue at hand, but find what caused it and prevent it from happening again by mobilizing joints, improving flexibility and strength, and educating patients on prevention and the overall plan of care.
• We educate patients about their pain and provide a description of their injury in a way that is easy to understand.  After all, who wants to hear a bunch of big words thrown at them that they don't understand?!
• We provide modalities to relieve pain right away, such as ultrasound, electric stimulation, cervical and lumbar traction, TENS, iontophoresis, and heat/ice. We also give guidelines for icing and heating at home.
• We provide a home exercise program with stretches and strengthening exercises to help relieve pain and prevent it from coming back. 

My philosophy is treating the joints above and below the pain because the body is all connected.  Ankle pain can be coming from the low back, just like pelvic misalignment can cause increased incidence of ankle sprains.  I individualize each plan of care because everyone is different and has a different activity tolerance.  I listen to the patient and base my plan of care off of their needs and goals.  If you want to get back to the activities you want to do without pain and limitations, give us a call today and schedule an evaluation!

608-222-2325