We hear so much about how you should sit correctly to avoid pain, but most of the time this advice is passed over. Are you guilty of slouching? Do you even know how to adjust your office chair? Do you have an ergonomic chair, and if so, do you have the first clue how to work it to its maximum potential?
Most people don’t sit properly, and that’s a fact. If you’re given the equipment, e.g. your manager provides you with a workstation chair which can be adjusted easily and will help make your working day more comfortable, you should use it! If you don’t have the equipment, highlight the issue and request it. Back pain is not something to mess around with, and the statistics on lost work days are quite startling too.
For instance, according to the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), general back pain is the reason why 264 million work days are missed every single year. That’s a huge amount. We have to take into account the sheer size of the USA, but think about it, that’s two working days missed for every single person in the USA who works full time.
The Rise of Lumbago
Back pain can affect any part of the back, neck, and shoulders, but one specific back pain condition is more common than others - lumbago. This is basically the medical name for lower back pain. Whilst lower back pain can come and go, if it’s left unattended over a long period of time, it can easily become a chronic problem. That means that you’re likely to notice some kind of pain in your spine, anywhere from the neck and all the way down to your hips, possibly for the rest of your life.
The reason lower back pain can become a life sentence is because you might think you’ve conquered it, you might think it’s cured, but then one slip of the attention, one day when you don’t sit correctly, and bam! It’s back again. Lumbago isn’t something you’re going to rid yourself of easily, but the good news is that by catching it early, you can minimise the effects and sometimes even eradicate them completely.
How to Help Lower Back Pain
Of course, the single first course of action is to learn how to sit properly! If you don’t have a supportive office chair, speak to your manager and request one. He or she is responsible for your health and safety in the workplace, and if you highlight such an issue, they have to do their very best, within reason, to fix the issue. There are many different types of office chairs to choose from, e.g. ergonomic chairs, adjustable chairs, mesh chairs, and it’s about what suits you the best.
Here are a few other ways you can manage and reduce lower back pain
- Take regular breaks, making sure you get up, walk around, and have a good stretch. This helps to decompress the discs in your back and loosens everything up
- Don’t be tempted to rest for too long - you need to stay active to avoid your back seizing up
- Try gentle sports, e.g. swimming, yoga, pilates, and walking
- Make sure you know how to sit correctly, with your computer at the right height, your feet on the floor, and your back straight
- Use compresses, varying between hot and cold, to relieve discomfort
The bottom line is that you shouldn’t feel feeling discomfort whilst you’re at work, so if you’re regularly noticing that you don’t feel comfortable, make sure you act now, to avoid delay and the problem becoming a long-term, chronic issue.
Is Lumbago/Lower Back Pain Serious?
Most of the time, lower back pain isn’t actually a serious issue or a medical condition which can’t be solved, but there are cases which need to be checked out if you find the problem isn’t going away with self-help methods. Most lower back issues don’t last a lifetime in general, but when ignored they can go on for far longer than they should. This can make your working life a miserable time, and it certainly does nothing for your productivity levels.
The first port of call is to speak to your manager, however you should also check that you actually know how to use your current chair correctly. If you already have an ergonomic or adjustable chair, it could very well be that you simply aren’t using it in the most effective way. Spend a little time examining the various settings and find a piece of middle ground that works for you. From there, educate yourself in the art of sitting correctly, banishing those slouches forever!