A Simple Back Exercise Regimen and Common Sense to Go With a Desk Job

A desk job to someone who has a weak back can be quite a thing to be stuck with. That's what most people in such a position end up thinking. It doesn't have to be that way however. Not unless one is chained to their desk. The thing is, as much as we seem to love sitting these days, that's not how our bodies were designed to be. If being at your work station requires you to slouch there, staring at your computer all the time, you can be sure that you are placing quite a bit of stress on all the muscles that support your spine. At some point, your muscles will stop being able to hold the pose any longer, and will slip a little bit. This is when the discs between your vertebrae will begin to feel little pressure, and experience pain and stiffness. Surprisingly, the best thing you can do for a painful back is to take up a bit of back exercise. Actually, you need to take up regular back exercises all through every day that you need to be at your desk.

So you need to get up and move - at least once every half-hour through the entire time that you are at your desk in the office. But that doesn't mean that you can let your time spent thinking go without any scrutiny. Offices spend a great deal of money on ergonomic office chairs to help their employees stay healthy. If you've been given an ergonomic chair, it's about time you learned to use it. You need to make sure that the height, the angle, the lumbar tilt, the seat length and every other adjustment allowed is properly set. But an ergonomic chair can't help you do everything right.

Let's say that you're sitting there at your desk and your desk telephone is far to your right. Every time it rings, you twist your body at the waist to reach for it. Now that is a terrible thing to do to your back. Twisting motions are a no-no. In fact, that's what that ergonomic office chair of yours swivels for. You are supposed to swivel your whole body, chair and all, to reach for anything. And then, you are to make sure that you sit with your feet flat on the ground. You need to adjust the height of your chair to make sure that you can do this. And you aren't supposed to sit with your legs crossed or anything. That places extra stress on your back. But apart from all these, pain that comes from sitting too long at your desk is easily taken care of with a regular back exercise regimen.

Now that you've learned that your ergonomic office chair's your back's best friend in the office, let's get on with how you can exercise your back to relax the build-up of tension. Walking is about the cheapest and best exercise you can think of for your back. It's a nice, rhythmic, coordinated set of movements that will work everything in your lower back like a good massage does. Yoga and Pilates have great back exercise routines that can strengthen your lower back muscles and make you a lot more flexible too. But remember, lots of people have found injury rather than healing through yoga. You need to be sure that you go slow, and go with a proper certified instructor.

Avihenda Summerton loves to write interesting health and beauty articles on Facial Skin Care and the like. Be sure to drop by our site at http://www.healthinfoonline.net/ to learn more about health and fitness routines and topics.

Original article

Common Work-Related Pain and Dysfunction

Attention to ergonomics has helped decrease the incidents of work-related Musculo Skeletal Disorders (MSDs); however, they still account for about 1/3 of work-related injuries and illnesses. No matter how great or small the physical demands of a job, the body can wear down from a variety of daily tasks. There seems to be a growing number of dysfunctions that can result from work-related activities. Here is a breakdown of some common MSDs.

General Overuse - Overuse during work or play can affect the body in a number of ways. General overuse of limbs in people who are poorly conditioned, use awkward postures when using the affected limb, or have poor posture are prone to bursitis and tendonitis. Very simply, these are inflammation in the bursa (fluid-filled sac beneath the tendons) or tendons (tissue connecting muscles to bones) respectively. They typically cause pain and stiffness. Ceasing the culprit activity and correcting positioning of the body during activity are common preventative measures.
Eye Problems - Staring at a computer can cause problems with both vision and comfort in the eyes. Computer Vision Syndrome can affect both the quality of vision (blurred, strained, etc.) and comfort levels (headaches, eye pain, neck pain, etc.) Dry Eye Syndrome describes a decrease in the ability for the eyes to bathe through tears properly. Frequent breaks from looking at a computer and from looking at objects up close can help prevent these issues.
Wrist and Forearm Pain - These disorders are often also considered overuse injuries, though they specifically develop from repetitive movements of the fingers and wrist, including gripping, pinching, grasping, and twisting. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is arguably the most common MSD, creating weakness, pain, tingling, and numbness in the wrist and fingers. De Quervain's Disease affects the side of the wrist and forearm, causing pain and swelling in those areas.
Arm Pain Associated With the Elbow - Tenderness, pain, and numbness in the hand and fingers may also indicate stress at the elbow. Epicondylitis (Golfer's and Tennis Elbow) is caused byexcessive stress of the forearm muscles and tendons. Cubital Tunnel Syndrome is numbness, tingling, and pain from compressing the ulnar nerve through direct pressure (resting elbows on a hard surface) or elbow flexion.Low Back and Leg Pain - Some of the most debilitating and excruciating MSDs are those that occur in the low back. Pain in the low back and legs may indicate sprain/strain in the lumbar spine or sciatica. Improper/frequent posture, compression, movement, and weight load on the spine can cause these serious back problems.

Signs or symptoms of a work-related MSD should be brought to the attention of the employer and examined by a trained physician. Early detection is critical not only to assist with the healing process, but also to correct any fixable problems at the work site. Ergonomic solutions are best when implemented as early as possible. Calling attention to a potential problem may prevent a number of workers from developing a work-related MSD.

Carol Olin is Vice President of Americarts USA, a manufacturer of US-made motorized platform carts used for material transporting in hospitals, hotels and industrial cart applications. Americart USA features high quality carts price to compete with imported products. Carol has been in the material transport equipment industry for over 11 years. Americart USA has several original articles on their website relating to work related injuries.

Original article