Poor Work Ergonomics
Work ergonomics addresses the way that your office workstation is set up and whether it works efficiently with your daily tasks and your body. Poor work ergonomics can lead to pain and chronic conditions. Here are some work ergonomics to consider for your workstation:
Make sure the position of your computer screen doesn’t cause you to sit with your head tilted upward or downward, rotated to the left or right, or bent to either side for when you’re working. Misplacement of your computer screen can cause strain of neck muscles, headaches, and misalignment of the joints in the neck. This can cause acute and chronic pain.
While at work, sit in a chair that has adjustable height. This allows you to properly rest your feet flat on the floor. The chair should also have an adjustable back that has lumbar support. The lumbar support should fit comfortably against your low back. It’s a good idea to try out a few chairs in your office and select one with these features.
Your workstation may require you to elevate your chair to a height that makes it impossible to rest your feet flat on the floor. An ergonomic footrest is important to have if this is the case.
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Your mouse and keyboard should be on the same surface. You should keep your wrists straight and your arms close to your upper body. If your wrists are resting on a hard desk surface, you should use a wrist rest for padding to avoid carpal tunnel syndrome or nerve irritation.
Improper Lifting Techniques
Lifting incorrectly can cause an acute or chronic injury to your low back. Even if you are lifting a light-weight object, improper repetitive lifting can lead to injuries such as strain.
Here are some things you can do to avoid injury while lifting:
Instead of bending at the waist to lift an object, bend your knees to lower your body down towards the object. Keep your knees bent while picking up the object. If this is hard to do, put one knee on the floor while picking up the object. Once you have the object in hand, raise to a standing position. Your knees should slowly straighten out.
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Do not rotate or twist your body while lifting an object, large or small. This can cause low back strain and disc injuries.
If you are lifting a heavy object, using lumbar support will help to protect your low back while performing proper lifting.
Poor Sleep Posture
Incorrect sleeping postures are hard habits to break. Sleeping in a posture that puts tension or strain on your neck or back can lead to pain and injury. Here are some things you can implement to improve your sleep posture:
Sleeping with too many pillows can lead to neck pain and headaches. What counts as too many pillows? If you’re a side sleeper and your free ear touches your shoulder, that’s too many pillows. Sleeping with not enough pillows or neck support can lead to neck pain as well.
Sleeping on your stomach can cause neck injury and pain. When you’re sleeping on your stomach, your head is turned to either side for most of the time you sleep. This places strain and tension on your neck muscles and leads to joint misalignment. Instead, try sleeping on your sides with a supportive neck pillow.
Sleeping on your back can cause strain to the low back muscles and lead to pain. If you’re a back sleeper, try adding pillows underneath your legs to help eliminate the strain on your low back muscles.
Wearing Shoes That Don’t Fit Properly
Wearing shoes that are too small, too large, or too high can not only lead to foot pain but can lead to back pain as well. Foot misalignments from poorly fitting shoes can cause an unstable foundation for your spine which can lead to back pain. Walking for prolonged periods in high heeled shoes can cause early deterioration of the knee joint which may lead to low back pain.
To avoid back pain caused by your shoes, here are some points to take away:
Wear shoes that fit! Don’t squeeze your size 10 feet into size 8 shoes. You may feel like the shoe sale is so good, that it’s worth it to buy one size too big or small, but it’s not worth the pain you could experience in the long run.
Try to avoid wearing high-heeled shoes when you are going to be standing for a long period.
Standing in high-heeled shoes puts an uneven amount of pressure on your knees. In turn, pain in your knees, hips, and spine may arise.
Select shoes that have an adequate amount of toe box space. The toe box is the part of the shoes that accommodates your toes. Toe boxes that are too narrow can cause issues with your feet and the way you walk. As a result, your low back may suffer pain and chronic conditions.
Take Care of Back Injuries When They Happen
It’s easy to brush off an injury to your back and say, “I’m just getting old or it will get better on its own.” Not taking care of back injuries when they occur can lead to instability of the low back muscles and joints.
This creates a recipe for a chronic condition or a more severe back injury, like a herniated disc, in the future. Taking care of your injuries as soon as they happen allows your back to recover and heal. This makes you less susceptible to a new back injury in the future. Here’s what you can do to care for your back injuries:
Get an evaluation by a licensed chiropractor if you’ve injured your back. A chiropractor can evaluate and treat back injuries caused by everyday tasks, sports, automobile accidents, or work-related injuries. Chiropractic care will eliminate pain and restore function to the muscles and joints of your low back.
Don’t continue to push yourself through workouts if you’ve injured your back. Take a rest from your routine until you have allowed your body to heal.
If you haven’t already, implement proper work ergonomics, sleep posture and wear properly fitted shoes if you have injured your back.
Eat an anti-inflammatory diet if you have injured your back. Additional inflammation from your diet may delay healing.
Dr. Candace McMillon-Dantley is the health-empowering creator of The Doc Knows and she’s on a mission to motivate you to a life of health. She has a Doctorate in Chiropractic Medicine and a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences. When she’s not health writing, she is health motivating and educating during her interactive presentations on healthy nutrition, self-care and conditions of the body. Her experiences as a business owner, chiropractor, wife and mom of two resonate and relate with her audiences. Connect with Dr. Candace on Instagram @drcandace.
