If you’ve spent some long days and nights at the office, you are probably intimately familiar with aching, stiff joints. Seated, slumped postures put a tremendous amount of strain on our bodies. Furthermore, this effect is multiplied when we maintain these positions for 8+ hours every day.
Luckily, through improved office ergonomics and chiropractic care, everyone can enjoy pain-free, productive work days for many years to come!
What Is the Ideal Seated Posture for the Spine?
To start, it’s important to remember that our spines need to be kept in proper alignment in order to function properly.
Ideally, we want to maintain a slight “S curve” throughout our spine. This means that we keep a reasonable forward curvature (lordosis) in our low backs and necks, and a slight backward curvature (kyphosis) in our mid/upper back. While these curvatures can adjust slightly as we change positions, we continue to maintain some degree of an “S curve” in our spines, regardless of whether we’re seated, standing, exercising, or lying down.
Therefore, in order to maintain the proper spinal curvature at the office, we want to sit up straight, with our head neutral, in a firm, comfortable chair.
How Should Our Legs and Arms Be Positioned While We Sit?
A good rule of thumb for the extremities, while we sit, is that we maintain the 90-90-90 position. This means having the elbows, knees, and hips bent to 90 degrees.
The 90-90-90 position takes much of the stress off of our joints and can help to prevent back pain, shoulder pain, and tons of other issues.
What Type of Chair Should We Use at the Office?
As a general rule, office workers should select a chair that has good low back (lumbar) support, is adjustable in height, and isn’t too hard or too soft.
However, not all office workers have the option of choosing the perfect chair for their needs. In these cases, there are many tools and tricks that can be used to improve an office chair.
For example, you might elect to place a large, rolled-up towel behind your low back to fill the role of a lumbar support chair.
Alternatively, if your chair is too short for you, you may be able to place extra padding on the chair in order to raise it to the proper height.
There are tons of different ways to improve your ergonomics at the office. Get creative and do whatever you can to achieve the ideal seated position. You’ll be glad you did when you’re free of any aches and pains in the future!
What About Standing Desks?
If you are able to get a standing desk for your office space, you should strongly consider doing so.
Standing desks are a great way to avoid the many common ergonomic issues associated with sitting at a desk all day long. In fact, there are even some standing desks that include treadmills as part of the design.
That being said, if you can’t procure a standing desk for one reason or another, you should still find a way to stand up as much as you can throughout the day. Even when compared to the ideal seated posture, standing is generally far superior in terms of preventing posture-related injuries.
Can Chiropractic Care Help With Back and Shoulder Pain Caused by Poor Office Ergonomics?
For those who have been dealing with back and shoulder issues as a result of office work, there is a solution: chiropractic care!
Chiropractors help office workers improve their spinal alignment every day through targeted adjustments. A chiropractic manipulation can improve the positioning of the spine, allowing for better nerve conduction, improved posture, and decreased pain.
If you’re sick and tired of suffering from back and shoulder pain, book your appointment with Keystone Chiropractic today. We have the best chiropractors in Plano, TX, and can get you feeling better as quickly as possible. Set up your appointment with Keystone Chiropractic today!
