Desk Pain Relief Toronto — Stop Hurting at the Desk
As a Corrective Chiropractor near Downtown Toronto, I take care of many ‘desk bound’ practice members. Like many office workers, they often sit for up to 50-60 hours a week for their Toronto based office job. Despite having ergonomic setups, they complain about the back/neck pains and general discomfort after a long work week at the desk.
How Common is Back Pain While Sitting at a Desk?
Not surprisingly, there is a lot of research on this topic because it affects a lot of people with desk jobs (especially in Toronto). Up to 75% of workers in one study reported having back pain related to sitting at their office job. So what can you do to not be part of this alarming statistic?
How Can I Increase Pain Relief at the Desk?
A systematic review (highest quality research) examined studies on the use of breaks during sitting in relation to low back pain and work productivity. The best type of break is an ‘active break with postural change for pain and discomfort’. In simpler terms, the best thing to do is get out of your chair and start moving. The discomfort we often feel sitting is our body nudging us to move into another posture and preferably give yourself a break from sitting.
But I Don’t Want to Be Less Productive…
The objection I often hear from my Toronto Chiropractic practice members is that they worry that these movement breaks will affect their productivity. Well that same systematic review found the use of breaks had no negative effect on work productivity (welcome relief for both you and your employer!).
What Do I Tell My Toronto Chiropractic Practice Members About Sitting Posture?
Good posture is not synonymous with healthy posture. Sitting completely upright with ‘perfect posture’ for the entire work day is not realistic or comfortable. Give your body and spine a break every 30 minutes. Get out of your chair and stand up. Can’t get out of your chair… Do some chair stretches! It isn’t a radical concept but people tend to overlook these postural strategies. There are even many phone applications that can give you a gentle reminder to move at the specified time interval you set. Bottom line, humans aren’t designed to sit for hours on end but there are ways to mitigate the side effects.
Are You in Toronto and Still Need Help at Your Desk?
Do you need help with posture at the desk? Do you need help improving your desk ergonomics? Are you tired of pain and discomfort at your Toronto based desk job?
Book your complimentary case review with Dr. Mateusz Krekora at Toronto Corrective Chiropractic. Let’s get to the root cause of your problem and get you feeling like yourself again!
References:
- Bontrup C, Taylor WR, Fliesser M, Visscher R, Green T, Wippert PM, Zemp R. Low back pain and its relationship with sitting behaviour among sedentary office workers. Applied ergonomics. 2019 Nov 1;81:102894.
- Waongenngarm P, Areerak K, Janwantanakul P. The effects of breaks on low back pain, discomfort, and work productivity in office workers: A systematic review of randomized and non-randomized controlled trials. Applied ergonomics. 2018 Apr 1;68:230-9.