Are Good Office Ergonomics Enough?
By Sara Butler
You do all you can at work to be kind to your body. You’ve bought the right chair, you have your computer screen adjusted to the correct height, and you’re trying to be aware of your posture in order to make it better. That should be enough to keep back pain at bay, right? Well, maybe not. It’s great that you’re trying to practice good posture and ergonomics at work, but you may need to look beyond what you’re doing at the office to get a more accurate picture of your spinal health.
Your Work Posture
The best way to practice good posture habits at work is to keep it simple. Make sure:
- Your monitor is directly in front of your eyes
- You put all you need within easy reach
- You take small breaks to ensure better posture
What you do at work is important, as is the rest of your day. The big takeaway from proper posture at work is not to stay in once posture too long. Create a reminder on your smartphone or computer to remind you to get up at least once an hour to stretch, move around a little, and basically break the posture you’ve been sitting in.
Your Sleep Posture
If you want to keep your spine healthy, then you need to think about your sleep posture, too. The best advice your chiropractor can give you regarding this is to avoid sleeping on your stomach. Stomach sleeping puts a lot of pressure on your neck and your lower back, causing discomfort and pain.
The best option for sleeping is on your back or on your side. Use pillows to support your knees, hips, and lower back as you sleep, and make sure the pillow under your head supports your neck and keeps your head in a straight line with the rest of your body, not angled up.
Posture Everywhere Else
You participate in a variety of activities throughout the day, but you have to remember to keep your spinal health a priority no matter what you do. This is especially true for things you tend to do repeatedly since overuse injuries can have a big impact on your spinal and joint health. Things such as looking at your handheld electronic device can cause problems in your neck and shoulders, so talk to your chiropractor about the things you do every day that may be adding to problems with your spinal health.
You do more over the course of your day than just work! So make sure you’re paying attention to every activity if you want to encourage proper spinal health.
To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic.