You probably remember your parents nagging you to stop slouching, and to stand or sit up straight. Although it may have seemed annoying at the time, the truth is that they had your best interests at heart. Slouching compresses the individual vertebrae of the spine, which places pressure on the nerves leading in and out of the spinal column, increasing pain and stiffness throughout the musculoskeletal system. Training yourself to maintain good standing and sitting posture habits during childhood can save you from a lifetime of spinal trouble as an adult.

Unfortunately, many people tend to forget those lessons from their parents, which often leads to musculoskeletal problems. These patients can come to Dr. Nathen Horst’s office in hopes of finding relief with chiropractic care.

One of the most common causes of back pain is poor posture in the workplace. Even if you have a desk job, you can still end up with musculoskeletal problems due to poor posture, repetitive motion injuries, or simply sitting too long during the day. Here, Dr. Horst provides suggestions to improve your workplace ergonomics, and reduce the amount of stress on your spine, joints, ligaments, and tendons.

What Is Workplace Ergonomics?

Broadly, workplace ergonomics is the study of workplace efficiency. In terms of chiropractic care, it is the study of how people move or position themselves at work. The goal is to reduce the possibility of injury, which in turn could reduce workplace efficiency due to time lost as a result of sick days or doctor visits as a result of these injuries.

Sitting Pretty

For people who have desk jobs, how they sit at their desk can be the biggest factor in their back problems. Most people tend to sit toward the front part of their chair, which causes them to hunch over toward the computer screen. This places excessive stress on the neck and shoulders, and does not properly support the lower back. Instead, try sitting toward the back of your chair so that your lower back touches the back of the chair to give it proper support. There are special lumbar cushions that can provide extra support.

Stretch it Out

If you do spend much of your time sitting, you should try to get up and move around approximately every 30 minutes. This will keep blood circulating through your body, keep you alert, and allow your muscles to stretch. Set an alarm on your phone to remind you when it is time to get up for a few minutes. If you have an office with a door, you can roll out a yoga mat and go through a quick set of five or so sun salutations to give yourself a quick stretch of all your joints before sitting back down again.

Elbow Room

You will also want to make sure that your desk is at the proper height. If it is too high, you will be holding your arms too high, which can put strain on your shoulders and elbows. If the desk is too low, you will have a tendency to hunch forward, putting stress on your neck and back. Some desks can have their height adjusted. If not, you can adjust the height of your chair appropriately.

The lectures your parents gave you about not slouching were meant to teach you good posture habits as you were growing up. Now that you are an adult, isn’t it time to continue those good habits, particularly at work, so that you can reduce your chances of musculoskeletal issues as you get older?