Is Work Causing You Pain? Try These Tips.

Is Your Work Causing You Pain? Try These Tips.

After sitting at your desk all day, chances are you leave the office with some stiff or painful spots. But you don’t have to wait until after work to find relief, Ochsner Lafayette General Orthopedics can offer tips and tricks to combat pain from forming.

What areas should you be stretching?

The first step is to move as much as possible to identify the key areas of tension in the body. It is important to try and avoid a “fixed position” and take a quick break to get up and move or stretch after 30 minutes of sitting.

Desk setup plays a part, too

For many people, a lot of the workday is spent staring at a computer screen, or sometimes multiple screens. Our physicians strongly encourages placing your computer monitors so they are directly in front of your natural gaze so it is aligned at the appropriate height. Keeping your arms at a 90 degree angle on the desk also prevents overextension in the shoulders when typing or using a mouse.

It’s also important to make sure your chair height is adjusted so your feet touch the ground comfortably. One trick is to check that your posture your feet are to the ground as if you were going to stand up, but remain seated. This action automatically helps correct your posture: as the body prepares to rise, the head is in a neutral position with our spine, which is elongated.

Taking time to do a series of 30-second stretch sessions multiple times throughout the day will ultimately help with holding poses for longer periods later. Periodic stretching helps maintain flexibility throughout the day.