That hurts
Do you know that too: You want to swing your energy out of the office chair and suddenly it gets you in the back? Or you even suffer from chronic back pain? Problems with the back are the most common cause of sick leave and Frühberentungen. Reason enough to deal with the possible causes and the possibilities of prevention and healing.
Back pain occurs in different forms and characteristics. The most common complaints are
- in the area of the lumbar spine (62%)
- around the cervical spine (36%)
- and in some cases also in the area of the thoracic spine (2%)
Almost everyone knows occasional back pain. They suddenly appear and disappear after a few days – almost as suddenly as they came. However, if you continue for longer, you should definitely get to the bottom of the causes. From 12 weeks one speaks already of chronic back complaints. It is important to know that the pain does not always originate from where you feel it. For example, damage to the cervical spine (cervical spine) can be felt as pain in the shoulder, arm or finger. Problems with the lumbar spine (Lumbar spine) often drag in the buttocks or leg. But how come the classic lumbago or pain in the lumbar or cervical spine?
Back pain from sitting – When the body is protesting
For example, there are many causes of back problems, but the most common ones include muscle tension or cramping due to
- lack of exercise
- low back muscles
- maladjustment, for example Desk Workstations
- Pathological Changes in Spine
- Draft Air
- Stress & mental problems
Especially lack of exercise is not to be underestimated as one of the main causes. Many of us are sitting too long in everyday life – in Germany you sit around 5 hours a day. At work, in front of the TV, in the car. That’s 450 minutes. Does it sound a lot? If we take the wrong attitude or do not sufficiently move the body in between, back pain from sitting is inevitable. But what can you do when the pain is already there?
Relieve the pain
Of course you should consult a doctor for severe discomfort. With light back pain, even smaller measures often help to break the cycle of pain, restraint and tension. These measures include:
- Painkillers
- Warmth
- Sport & Exercise
- Relaxation Procedures
- Massage
- Acupuncture
Bed rest is usually not necessary and should not be longer take more than 2 days, otherwise it is more harmful: A too long bed rest weakens the muscles and can even make it worse back problems.
Prevention is better than treating
Basically, you should strengthen your back in the long term to prevent pain. Sometimes it’s trifles that you can use to positively influence your constitution:
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Regular back-friendly sport: e.g. Backstroke, strengthening of the trunk musculature, specially adapted back exercises (back exercises).
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Correctly bending over, lifting and carrying:When lifting, always kneel down and keep your back straight, always keep the loads close to your body when carrying.
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Relaxation techniques: Autogenic training, progressive muscle relaxation and holistic exercise methods such as yoga and Qi Gong specifically prevent tension.
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Lots of Drinking: So the discs stay elastic as shock absorbers between the vertebrae.
Back-friendly nutrition: Bones, joints, muscles and discs need nutrients like fatty acids, calcium, fluoride, vitamins C, D, E and B as well Magnesium, selenium and zinc. - Back-friendly workplace: We spend most of the day at work, and ergonomically-designed equipment is extremely important for counteracting cramped posture and back pain from sitting.
An ergonomic workplace
Get out of the turtle attitude! For a healthy back, you should consider the parameters for equipping an ergonomically designed workstation. So you take the best possible attitude:
- The screen is at least equipped with a 24-inch monitor and is positioned so that no reflections can arise. The ideal distance between person and monitor is 50-70cm. Optionally, you can use the ergonomics with flexible support arm systems such. the Optimize Novus LiftTEC ranges .
- The desk is at least 80 cm deep and stands 20-28 cm above the seat. With normal seat height, the arms lie horizontally on the desk.
- Sit-stand workstations are optimal. Because a mixture of sitting, standing and short movement units ensures that unilateral movement is avoided and the spine is not loaded on one side.
- The office chair is individually customizable and allows different working postures. When seated, the legs are bent at about 90 degrees, the feet completely touch the ground. The backrest should be infinitely adjustable. There are now many new alternatives to the classic desk chair, e.g. the pezziball, inflatable seat cushions placed on the desk chair, office stool or saddle chair.
- In the workroom prevail good lighting conditions. If that’s not the case, you can use Human Centric Lighting Systems and Flexible Task Lights complements the daylight.
8 Tips for a Healthy Back
You ask yourself: That sounds great, but how can I easily and inexpensively incorporate this into my office routine? Of course, this is not always possible in full. But with our 8 back tips for your daily work a start has been made:
- In the morning, the perfect warm start in bed: first stretch and stretch, then get up. This warms the muscles and prevents tension.
- Just walk to work or walk in between, that strengthens the muscles.
- Walking like on clouds: with gel deposits, because every foot deformity tense the muscles in the back. Stills sitting was yesterday. Fidget on the office chair regularly and move around.
- Change the angle of view: change the seat position at least three to four times an hour. Please lean back! Each chair has a backrest and you should definitely use it. Especially the lower back is supported.
- Warmth relaxed & relaxed. Whether with hot water bottle, thermal plaster or a full bath. Warmth and better blood circulation is the method of choice for back pain.
- This is even in front of the TV: with the Katzenbuckel release tension. Place your hands on the front of the coffee table, support the forehead and make a round back. A treat for the cross!