Can your office chair make your back hurt?
If you’ve been experiencing back pain lately, then you might want to try doing some stretches in your office chair.
According to experts, it’s not the chair that causes lower back pain; it’s the bad posture that most people assume when sitting in a chair for too long.
The best way to alleviate lower back pain is by stretching out your spine on a regular basis.
However a chair with super bad posture features will make your back hurt.
Common Causes of Office Back Pain
Office workers often suffer from back pain. A number of factors contribute to this, including sitting in one position for long periods of time and poor posture.
Because office work can be monotonous or stressful, many employees find themselves slouching over their desks between tasks.
Sitting with a rounded upper back and shoulders hunched forward puts stress on the spine’s muscles, ligaments, joints and discs.
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For example, if you sit with your head tilted downward so that your chin is resting against your chest or throat for an extended period of time without proper neck support or alignment with the rest of the body (i.e., straight back), it could encourage spinal ligaments to stretch too much—which may lead to pinched nerves in the same area; stretching spinal discs; or misalignment among vertebrae (for example: causing scoliosis).
Fatigue also encourages office workers to have an overly relaxed posture while sitting or standing which can add additional strain on the spine as well as cause back pain.
Another example is if your legs are above the ground and not touching them at all. This might result in discomfort and pain.
What you can do
Good posture is critical to avoid back and neck pain. Make sure your office chair has a supportive backrest, armrests and lumbar support that can relieve stress on muscles in your lower back.
Sit with your feet flat on the floor (or use a footrest if needed), legs slightly apart, leaning forward from the hips slightly, keeping arms close to the body when using them for tasks like typing or reading documents.
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Your head should be directly over top of your shoulders rather than tipped forward or backward; look straight ahead toward an imaginary point six to ten feet away.
If you have trouble sitting still due to discomfort or boredom, get up and move around occasionally during work hours—but not so much that it becomes disruptive! Take one five-minute walk after every half hour at desk (if possible).
Stretch periodically throughout even an extended day at work by standing up and walking while talking on the phone or pausing before responding to an email request from a co-worker.
Also if you are not using an ergonomic chair then you should get one. A chair with lumbar support will solve your back pain issue by 80%.
Choose the Right Office/Ergonomic Chair
An ergonomic office chair offers many benefits, including the ability to relieve back pain and increase productivity. The right office chair can make a big difference in how you feel at work each day. Ergonomic chairs are designed to help reduce stress on your body—your spine and joints bear less pressure, which can help lower blood pressure and decrease fatigue.
To maximize the benefit of an ergonomic desk chair:
– Choose one that has adjustable height adjustment so your elbows sit at 90 degrees when facing your desk
– Buy a chair that has adjustable arm rest.
– Also check for adjustable headrest.
– Buy mesh chairs for better usability during summer months.
– Make sure it has a seat depth that allows for 2 inches between the front edge of your knees and the front edge of the seat pan on either side (4 inches total). If this measurement is too small, then consider choosing another model or using an aftermarket cushion with built-in lumbar support.
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Create an Ergonomic Workspace
It’s important to make sure the chair you use for your computer work is at a comfortable height. If your desk and chair are not adjusted correctly, you could be straining yourself unnecessarily.
To set up your workspace ergonomically, sit in your computer chair with good posture while keeping both feet flat on the floor.
Adjust either or both of these items so that they are at a height where they feel natural to you when sitting with good posture: Your seat should support roughly 80% of your weight in this position (if you lean back too much it will hurt).
Your thighs should be parallel to the ground and there should be enough room between them and the front edge of the seat for you to fit one hand comfortably under each thigh; if not, raise or lower accordingly.
Make sure that when seated properly, approximately two-thirds of your body weight rests on each buttock without discomfort.
Adjust your workspace with an ergonomic chair, height adjustable table, proper lighting and monitor height.
These adjustments will take the pressure off your neck, spine, and wrists.
Practice Good Posture
Sitting in a slumped posture or with your back unsupported can result in muscle tension and pain. You may also experience numbness, tingling, or weakness—all signs of nerve impingement, which may lead to chronic back problems.
Good sitting posture is necessary for an ergonomically sound environment at work as well as during leisure time.
Poor posture places excess stress on the spine and surrounding muscles when you are seated, especially when you spend long periods of time hunched over a keyboard working on projects like schoolwork or writing reports for work.
Using good posture minimizes the gravitational pressure on your spine for improved comfort and reduced the risk of back pain.
Here are some tips for practising good posture when sitting: Keep your head aligned directly above your shoulders with your ears lined up with the centre of your shoulder blades.
Keep both feet flat on the floor (or use a footrest) so that they make contact just under where each thigh meets each leg.
If this position causes any discomfort in the knees.
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Practice Proper Movements
Any job that requires lifting, reaching or walking can put a strain on your back. Here are some tips to help you avoid injury while practicing proper movements:
Get into the habit of using your knees when bending and lifting. Lift with your legs and not back. Bend from your hips until they’re slightly lower than your knees, then lift with both legs together so you don’t twist your body as you move through space.
– Keep objects close to the centre of gravity (the middle of your body). This keeps pressure off joints during twisting motions, such as turning a doorknob or moving between high shelves in a closet.
– Take short breaks if it’s necessary for you to stand for long periods of time every day make sure that one foot is always firmly planted on the floor. Standing still puts stress on major muscle groups; periodic movement helps keep them loose throughout an eight-hour.
Take Frequent Short Breaks During Work
With today’s busy schedules, it can be almost impossible to take frequent short breaks. However, not taking any break at all could cause you physical and mental exhaustion. If you’re unable to take constant breaks, try to stretch at least three times during your workday.
You can do some stretches while you are sitting on your chair as well.
You can even perform dynamic stretches while moving from room to room in your office or when on the phone with clients.
Incorporating other relaxation techniques into your workday also can be very beneficial; these might include sitting quietly for five minutes of listening to music before starting an activity that requires focus and concentration.
Stay Active
Stretching will help relieve your body of the aches and pains that develop from being stationary. But work-related back pain can also be the result of stress. Between tight deadlines, budget demands, performance reviews, or even just the ordinary challenges of the day, it’s easy for stress to build up in your system.
Realize that you’re not alone with this problem: Nearly 80% of workers experience at least one episode of back pain each year. The good news is that most cases resolve within a few weeks and rarely last longer than 3 months if proper self-care steps are taken early on.
How to Reduce Back Pain at Work
Proper ergonomics and posture are key in preventing back pain at work. You can’t eliminate all stress from your job, but you do need to find a balance between what’s required of you and your physical ability. Use the following tips for proper office ergonomics:
– Give yourself enough room to sit comfortably with adequate lower back support when sitting in front of a computer screen.
Your elbows should be bent at right angles while typing with your keyboard directly in front of you.
If possible, adjust the height of both your chair and monitor so that they’re eye level or even slightly below eye level (this will help reduce neck strain).
Take frequent breaks throughout the day by standing up to stretch. Move away from your desk often if possible—for example, stand during phone calls instead of sitting down.
– When working on paperwork, stand up to complete small tasks whenever possible; this allows you more movement than simply shifting around within one position while seated (standing also gives those muscles involved with
- Adjust chair height
- Adjust armrest
- Adjust lumbar support
- Determine proper monitor height
- Keep mouse and keyboard within reach
How sitting Causes Low Back Pain
Sitting for too long in a chair that does not provide adequate support for the spine can cause or exacerbate lower back pain. When you sit, your spine is constantly being loaded, and this load is three times greater when you’re sitting than when you are standing or lying down.
Sitting for too long in a lousy chair can cause a lot of back pain. Sitting is one of the most common ways we spend the majority of our time in our work and leisure time. Yet, sitting for long periods can cause harmful effects to our spine.
-By sitting on an unsuitable chair, you’re more likely to misalign your spine and cause a mechanical core muscle imbalance, which in turn may result in back pain.
-By sitting for a long time in a lousy chair, you’re more likely to hunch or slouch.
What you want in your office chair to not to make your back hurt
On the customer’s size and features, office chairs can be quite expensive. However, the best lumbar spine support is not expensive, and you can reduce the risk of back pain by using the right chair.
People do not have lumbar spine curvature naturally. In lumbar back support, the body is free to maintain healthy curvature. When leaning forward, your muscles tense, leading to back pain. However, lumbar back support relaxes and relieves the muscles to support healthy curvature.
Good posture requires your muscles to hold the back in a perfect curve. If you do not maintain the right posture, your muscles will not maintain healthy curvature and you will suffer from back pain. Support for the spine is essential to maintaining a healthy posture.
Lumbar spine supports are not expensive, and you can reduce the risk to the back.
Conclusion
The key to avoiding back pain while sitting on an office chair is to get an ergonomic chair. Also doing stretches during every break will help you. Alternatively just moving around during your breaks will work too.
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