Escape The Pain: 4 Ways To Alleviate Back Pain Associated With Your Desk Job

If your job requires you to stay seated at a desk all day, it's just a matter of time before you're faced with low back pain. Unfortunately, low back pain can make work unbearable, and can interfere with every facet of your life. Here are some steps you can take to help alleviate back pain associated with your desk job.

Focus on Your Head and Neck

If your job has turned into a pain in the back, you need to put your focus on your head and neck. The way you position your head and neck can have a lot of bearing on how your back feels. This is particularly true if you're bending the wrong way. To alleviate back pain, begin by keeping your head and neck aligned evenly with your shoulders. If you find yourself leaning forward at the neck, reposition yourself. Misalignment of your head and neck puts too much pressure on your spine, which leads to low back pain.

Watch Where Your Hands Go

When you want to avoid low back pain at work, watch where you hands go, especially in relation to your mouse and keyboard. If you find yourself extending your hands and your arms to reach the mouse or keyboard, readjust your desk top. When you overextend to reach your mouse and keyboard, you put additional strain on your shoulders and back, which translates into lower back pain. You can alleviate the discomfort by making some changes to your work area.

Insist on the Right Chair

If your desk chair doesn't cradle your body properly, you could be at risk for low back pain, especially if your current seating arrangement leaves you with a gap between your lower back and the back of the chair. To reduce the risk of low back pain, choose a chair that cradles your lower back and hips.

Keep Your Feet on the Ground

If you tend to cross your legs while you work, it's time to change the way you sit. Crossing your legs can cause back pain in a couple of ways. First, crossing your legs causes your pelvic muscles to over-extend,which puts pressure on your lower back. Second, crossing your legs creates unnecessary strain between your legs and ankles, which also leads to back pain. Finally, when you cross your legs, you move your spine out of proper alignment. To reduce the risk of low back pain, keep your feet planted firmly on the ground while you work.

Don't let back pain interfere with your ability to do your job. Use the tips provided here to receive work-related low back pain relief. If you continue to suffer with back pain, be sure to see your doctor right away.