How To Protect Your Neck and Back at Work

Picture this scene. Hunched over a computer keyboard at the office you work tirelessly to meet the daily demands of your job while your neck and back slowly rebel against poor posture and few, if any, breaks.

The wrong chair, computer monitor height and keyboard positioning can spell trouble.

“Prolonged poor posture and slouching reverse the natural curvature of the spine and can cause damage to spinal tissues,” said Shelly Coffman, physical therapist and clinical director of New Heights Integrative Therapy in Vancouver. “Over the years, repeated poor posture can cause discomfort, pain and conditions that may lead to joint degeneration and medical intervention.”

She added that low back pain affects up to 80 percent of the population at some point in a lifetime. Neck pain affects up to 50 percent of our hardworking citizens.

But there is a solution to this problem. And it rests in the setup of your workspace.

ZERO IN ON YOUR CHAIR FIRST

Your work chair is the single most important piece of equipment at your workstation. Try and spring for a chair that’s as adjustable as possible.

“One of the most common mistakes people make is that they simply don’t take advantage of chair adjustments,” said Coffman. “Start with a good er-gonomically designed chair, or one that is built to fit the curvature of your spine and support your body.”

If purchasing a chair isn’t agreeable with your budget needs, it’s possible to remedy your existing chair. Try rolling a towel and using it for lumbar support. If the seat doesn’t tilt, you can use cushions to help line up the normal curvature of your spine.

“You want a chair that feels like it fits you,” said Coffman.

You want to be comfortable sitting all the way back in the chair. You want your muscles to relax while in a seated position. Your weight should be equally distributed between your two sit bones and the front of your pelvis, like a tripod.

Your knees shouldn’t bump against the chair’s edge. They should be at the same height as your hip joints and sit bones. You should be able to slide a couple of fingers behind your knees and the chair’s edge.

The front edge of the chair should be rounded or a “waterfall” edge to minimize pressure to the back of the thighs.

The back of the chair should reach high enough to support your shoulder blades.

Try to adjust your chair height so that the hips and knees are positioned in 90 degrees of bend with your thighs parallel to the ground. If needed, you can use a phonebook under your feet or footrest to do this.

TAKE BREAKS AND REDUCE STRESS

Managing stress helps to reduce aches and pains. Even with the best office setup, said Coffman, chronic stress can potentially manifest itself as painful problems in our neck and back.

“The tension created in your muscles by stress limits the blood flow into the muscles just like a kink in a hose,” said Coffman. “Without proper oxygen and nutrients your muscles let you know by sending you pain.”

This is one of the reasons taking one or two rest breaks during the workday is critical. The break doesn’t have to be long, but it should be productive. This means get moving. Take a short walk, jump up and down or do a load of laundry. Anything that gets your circulation moving by taking a break allows your body to realign.

IMPROVE YOUR WORKSTATION SETUP

Incorrect placement of your keyboard and monitor can cause neck, shoulder, back pain and even headaches.

Try and place your keyboard and monitor so that they are directly in front of you. You shouldn’t have to twist your back or turn your neck to face it. Then make sure the top of your monitor is just about eye height as you sit with good posture in your optimal chair setup. Ideally you should be positioned an arm’s length from the screen with the bottom of the monitor slightly closer than the top for optimal positioning.

Many aches and pains in the upper back and neck come from working at a desk and keyboard height higher than the height of your elbows with your arms relaxed at your sides.

“Don’t rest your elbows and arms on the desk,” said Coffman. “With an armrest, while you don’t want to use them all the time, you do want your arms and shoulders to get rest periodically during the work day.”

THINK ABOUT LIGHTING

Light should be moderately bright or equal to a nice day where sunglasses aren’t needed. The keyboard should be positioned so that your elbows are at 90 degrees and wrists slightly lower.

“This puts the least amount of strain on forearm musculature,” said Coffman.

CONSIDER VISITING A PHYSICAL THERAPIST FOR PERSISTENT PAIN

If after finding a good chair, improving your workstation setup and reducing your stress you still have pain in your neck and back, you might want to see a physical therapist. Think of a few visits to a physical therapist as another business expense, investing in keeping your body running optimally and without pain, and improving your productivity.

“Pain is a signal that something is wrong and needs attention,” said Coffman. “This warning system will speak louder and more frequently until you are forced to deal with the problems.”

A good physical therapist can give you instruction on how to best position your desk setup for you. The therapist also can help to strengthen and improve muscle function that has gotten out of balance. Getting timely treatment can not only relieve pain, but it can also prevent future neck and back problems.