Standing Side Trunk Stretch

Release all that tension build-up around your spine and obliques by doing the standing side stretch.

• Begin with an upright standing position.
• Raise your hands towards the ceiling and interlock your fingers, palms facing the ceiling.
• Keeping your elbows straight, slowly bend your trunk to the side.
• Bend as far as you can and hold this position for 5 seconds.
• Do the stretch on the other side.

Buy An Ergonomic Chair

When it comes to comparing ergonomic chair vs normal chair, the former one has a clear benefit.

The best ergonomic chair should offer the appropriate seat depth, width, and height adjustment. It should have adjustable armrests, a five-star base, and back support. It should also be stable and have a removable, washable fabric material so sitting in an office chair is comfortable. More features include a backrest recline, headrest, and swivel.

These chairs will alleviate the back, arms, and legs pain by promoting the right sitting posture. It also allows proper alignment of your hips and shoulders while reducing any abnormal strain on your body. Furthermore, the chair prevents harmful sitting positions like slouching forward or backward.

And that means, whether youre using traditional office chairs or ergonomic options like the Swiss exercise ball or Swedish kneeling chair, youll still need to adjust it to your proportions. The Swedish kneeling chair comes with back support that helps to promote good body posture. On the other hand, the Swiss exercise ball comes in handy in developing your abdominal, spinal, and back muscles while youre seated.

Before buying and using any of these chairs, be sure to see your doctor who will diagnose and see if they are suitable for your health. But even though ergonomic office chairs are an excellent choice for the right sitting posture, they may not always offer ultimate back support.

That leads us to the next tip

What Really Is Mid Back Pain

Cervical radiculopathy occurs when a nerve root coming off the spinal cord becomes compressed. The compression can occur for various reasons. In younger people, it may occur when a cervical disc herniates due to trauma. In older individuals, it commonly occurs spontaneously as a result of arthritis or decreased disc height in the neck region.

The cervical spine consists of 7 cervical vertebrae . Each vertebra is separated by a gel-like disc. The discs provide shock absorption for the spine. The spinal cord travels through a canal in the cervical vertebrae. Spinal nerve roots extend from the spinal cord and branch off going to specific locations in the arm. The spinal nerves send signals to our muscles for movement as well as sensations that we feel in the entire arm. The spinal cord is like a tree trunk, and the spinal nerves are like the tree branches. If an impingement or abnormal pressure is placed on a branch near the trunk, everything along that branch will be affected.

Spinal nerves can be impinged by:

• Arthritis or disc wear-and-tear with age
• Herniated or bulging discs from trauma or degeneration
• Spinal stenosis, which is a narrowing of the spaces in which the nerves travel
• Tumor, which can be benign or malignant, impinging the nerve root

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How To Relieve And Prevent Wrist Pain From Sitting At Desk

There is no need to stand to exercise your wrists, but they do need a little attention. Taking frequent breaks, every 15 minutes or so, to roll your wrists in circles in both directions or to flex and stretch your hands keeps the blood flowing and the muscles that support your wrists comfortable.

You can gently shake your hands to loosen and relax your wrists and arms to relieve and prevent wrist pain from sitting at desk. Or, try a few of the yoga poses for shoulder pain above to really get some relief.

Office Chair: How To Reduce Back Pain

Sitting in an office chair for prolonged periods of time can definitely cause low back pain or worsen an existing back problem. The main reason behind this is that sitting, in an office chair or in general, is a static posture that increases stress in the back, shoulders, arms, and legs, and in particular, can add large amounts of pressure to the back muscles and spinal discs.

See Back Muscles and Low Back Pain

When sitting in an office chair for a long period, the natural tendency for most people is to slouch over or slouch down in the chair, and this posture can overstretch the spinal ligaments and strain the discs and surrounding structures in the spine. Over time, incorrect sitting posture can damage spinal structures and contribute to or worsen back pain.

Sitting in an office chair for extended periods of time increases pressure on the spine. These tips can help to reduce stress and prevent back and neck pain. WatchVideo: 6 Tips to Improve Posture While Sitting

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Place Monitors At Eye Level

The typical office set up places the monitors directly on the desk. This is a mistake as the desk height is not the correct height for a monitor it is only designed for ideal typing height to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome. Always keep your monitors at eye level. Doing otherwise would force the head to tilt slightly forward the whole day. This can result in hunched shoulders and poor overall health. Use a monitor stand to elevate your monitors or stack some books under them until they are at the correct height.

Neck Releases And Mobility

While sitting tall, rotate your head as far to the right and then as far to the left as you comfortably can. Hold each for 20-60 seconds while breathing normally. Tilt your head to the right as you pretend to lift your left ear to the ceiling, and then repeat to the left as you lift your right ear to the ceiling. Hold each for 20-60 seconds while breathing normally. Since youre probably sitting in an office chair, run the base of your head from one side to the other as though you were sliding along the top of your chair. Keep your body still and move only your head and neck. No tilting your head!

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Tips On How To Reduce Back Pain From Office Chair

by Artem

Sitting in your affordable ergonomic chair for long hours can cause lower back pain or worsen your existing sciatica problem.

That is because, sitting for long periods of time increases stress and tension in the arms, back, shoulders, knees, and legs. Pubmed associates this prolonged sitting with musculoskeletal dysfunction. And in worst-case scenarios, it may add pressure to your spinal discs and back muscles, resulting in severe spinal complications.

This article outlines the simple yet effective tips for reducing back pain resulting from sitting on a work related office chair.

Read along!

Here Are Four Stretches You Should Do Every Hour Or So While Working:

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Preventing And Relieving Upper Back Pain

The best way to prevent upper back pain is to avoid activities that might aggravate pain including poor sitting posture, slouching in the couch and craning over the phones. It is advisable to maintain a good posture and walk upright without slouching or hunching and to avoid prolonged sitting in one posture. It is best to walk for sometime regularly and avoid prolonged sitting. It requires conscious effort to avoid forward drifting of the head and the head should always be aligned with the back and the body. A simple tip is to place a cushion in the form of a folded towel behind the waist while sitting to avoid slouching. Slouching can also be avoided by lifting the breastbone that also helps regain the curve behind the waist.

Upper back pain can also be relieved with over the counter pain medications such as Non Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs . Along with pain medications, one can also try cold or warm compresses to relieve pain. Cold compresses should be tried within 72 hours of injury followed by warm compresses or alternate warm and cold compresses after 72 hours of injury.

The discomfort of neck and upper back pain can also be relieved by stretching the muscles of neck and upper back. Head tilts can be performed to relieve neck pain.

Exercises and lower backstretches can also be done to strengthen the back muscles in order to avoid slouching and to get a strong back.

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Take Plenty Of Breaks

Its easy to get in the zone at work and forget to take breaks, but we all need them.

Taking a break every once in a while not only resets our mental capacity, but it also gives us a chance to reset our physical bodies.

Every 30 minutes to an hour, get moving by:

• Stretching
• Taking a stroll around the office
• Visit the restroom
• Refill your coffee cup

Do whatever it takes to get those moving breaks inset a timer or leave post-it note reminders near your computer.

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Beyond Ergonomic Seating And 90

Many of us are way past the lectures about the ideal ergonomic seating and how we shouldn’t be working in bed or how the feet need to be planted on the floor and everything should be at a certain angle. Let’s be real: Depending on people’s living situations, most of us are playing some version of musical chairs from dining room to kitchen table followed by a stint in the living room easy chair and an afternoon sprawl in the bed. Given the abnormal demands, it’s no wonder working from home can sometimes be a pain in the back.

Sitting for long periods of time creates a perfect storm of strain that includes joint misalignment and muscle weakness,” explains , an orthopaedic surgeon at , part of Main Line Health.

“It starts with the constant relaxation and weakening of the hip flexors, the connecting muscles from the top of the thighs to the hips, which in turn control the pelvis and the lumbar spine, therefore putting your back under constant strain. Which then causes the hamstring muscles to reach up and compensate, and that weakens the gluteal muscles that are meant to stabilize the back and pelvis. Sitting is just a whole recipe for back painperiod.”

Sitting leads to 40 to 90 percent more stress on the back than standing posture. Cornell University Ergonomics Web

Seated Neck And Back Bend

Over time, sitting in front of the computer for long periods of time can lead to rounded shoulders and back. To counter this hunched posture, stretch your neck, shoulders, back, and core by doing the eagle arch. This pose is also great for relieving pain when sitting with sciatica.

• Sit at the edge of your chair with your back straight.
• Place your arms slightly behind you and grasp the edge of the chair.
• Cross your right leg over your left.
• Connect the outer ankle of your right leg to the outside shin of your left leg.
• If you can, wrap your right foot around your left shin.
• Keeping your arms straight by pressing down on your hands, inhale and slowly arch your entire back.
• Tense your abs and keep your trunk engaged.
• Stay in this position for 5 seconds, slowly breathing in and out.
• Slowly return to your original position and repeat on the other side.

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Why Do My Shoulders Hurt From Sitting

This question can be answered with one wordposture.

Poor posture while sitting is one of the leading causes of shoulder pain.

So what causes this pain while sitting? Factors contributing to postural pain include

• Working on computers
• Slouching
• Sedentary lifestyles

Studies show that most peoples muscles start to fatigue after just 15 minutes in an upright position.

Neck Pain From Postural Strain

Maintaining proper posture is one of the most important factors in preventing neck pain while working at your computer. Many people only have the option to sit at their workstations. Unfortunately, sitting for several hours can cause significant postural strain in the neck, back, and shoulders.

As you begin to experience soreness, the muscles around your spine and shoulder girdle become tense or guarded. As you continue to work in the same position, these muscles fatigue and become more painful. The surrounding muscles start to contract to help compensate for the fatigue in the primary stabilizing muscles. As a result, you may experience significant pain and muscle guarding throughout the neck and upper back region.

How-To Create Better Posture

If you must sit to work, try to limit your time to periods of 20-30 minutes, then take breaks to move around or stretch. When sitting, make sure that you have a chair that can properly support your body. Some office chairs are highly adjustable and can accommodate a variety of body types.

Another option is to use a standing desk converter or an adjustable height desk. Either of these will allow you to easily change positions while working at the computer. When working in standing, your feet should be a comfortable distance apart and your trunk should remain upright. Dont slouch or lean forward over your desk.

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Sitting And Mid Back Pain

Sitting with mid back pain at work, at a desk, or when watching TV is a very common symptom. It may be caused from poor posture, from a strained muscle, or it can be referred pain from the neck. People who sit for long periods of time, or individuals with arthritis in the cervical region can also be affected. Conservative care, including physical therapy, can help reduce symptoms. A physical therapist can help alleviate the acute neck and arm symptoms that result from the condition, as well as improve general strength and function. Most cases of cervical radiculopathy are resolved with physical therapy and do not require surgery.

How To Deal With Back Pain From Sitting Too Long In All The Wrong Ways

What started out as two weeks turned into two months and then became an indefinite work from home reality for many. Yet few of the remote workforce were prepared for the physical effects of a work from home lifestyle and may not have put in place the best supports for the body, especially the back.

Back pain from sitting too long is a common concern that ties in with joint mobility, muscle strength and function, and even breathing, so it’s important that people who are working from home be proactive about their physical form while working.

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Hunching Your Back As You Work

When youre slumping in your chair, you are putting your back out of alignment. This poor posture can contribute to chronic ailments such as lower back pain, neck pain, arthritis, and bursitis. Long lasting effects aside, short-term problems are that ongoing back pain stops you from performing your best because you are concentrating on your aches.

While you can relieve tension as you sit, its best to configure your workplace setting to support good posture. You can do things like sitting on something wobbly. An exercise ball is an excellent option. Sitting on an exercise ball or even a backless stool will force your core muscles to work. Sit up straight, place both feet on the floor in front of you and jump back into those spreadsheets!

Move #: Scalenes Pin & Stretch

The scalene muscles help you inhale, flex your head forward, and rotate side to side.

When the scalene muscles get tight, they can entrap the nerves that pass under them, resulting in numbness, pain, and tingling down the arm into the fingers.

To do the scalenes pin and stretch technique, you first hook your fingertips down onto the scalenes, right in the middle portion of your clavicle bone, thats the collarbone.

Then turn your head toward the fingers to shorten the scalenes, pinning them down with your fingertips. Take a deep breath and inhale, and as you exhale, turn your head away to stretch the scalenes.

Repeat this pin and stretch technique until you reach the end of the clavicle. Then, do the same thing on the opposite side.

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How To Sit At Your Desk To Avoid Shoulder Pain

The same rules for ergonomics and posture apply here, with one additional caveat: remove the armrests on your chair. In most cases, chair armrests hike the shoulders up.

This may feel comfortable at first, but it can lead to problems and shoulder pain in the future. If your desk, chair, and screen are at the proper height and your feet are solidly planted on the floor, you wont even miss them.