Chronic back pain, and especially lower back pain, is a more common problem than you might think. In many cases, if you suffer from back problems, whether it is chronic pain or acute pain, there is a chance that certain risk factors in your workplace or tasks that you carry out on a daily basis may be contributing to your pain.
Office workers and drivers often spend their working day sat for a long period of time with bad posture, putting pressure on their spines and causing problems to their back. This in turn can lead to pain that often sticks around long after the working day has ended.
Even workers in non-office jobs can experience back pain as a direct result of working; poor posture when lifting and bending is one of the leading causes of serious back pain and injury in people who perform manual handling tasks.
That being said, what can you do to help keep your back safe and pain-free whilst you work without the need to constantly resort to pain relievers or other ineffective pain management options?
Improve Your Posture
Whether you work in an office or perform physical tasks, making a conscious effort to improve your posture can do wonders for your back. When you sit down, mind your posture and take care not to slump your shoulders forward or lean back too far. Instead, sit up straight with your back firmly supported against your chair. You can also greatly improve your comfort and back safety in the workplace by using an ergonomic chair or an ergonomic back rest.
If your job consists of bending down a lot to pick objects up and lifting heavy items, it is crucial that you learn the correct and safe lifting technique for carrying out these tasks and ensure that you stick to it.
Consider using additional support tools for your lower back, such as a lumbar support belt. You now have the option to wear a belt that not only supports your back but massages it and relieves low back pain while you wear it. That is the Backrack Lumbar Support Belt, a unique product that uses patented technology to treat your back while you wear it, as it removes stress and compression from the vertebrae in your lumbar spine.
Backrack Lumbar Support Belt
Take Regular Breaks
Taking regular breaks at work is important to make sure that you stay focused and can complete your job to the best of your ability. But, it’s also essential for the health and safety of your back – especially if your job involves sitting or standing in the same position for long periods of time.
Taking short, regular breaks to walk around will give your back muscles time to relax and recover and prevent you from becoming stiff and tense. If possible, opt for frequent short breaks rather than fewer long ones – as well as being better for breaking up the workday, frequent breaks are also better for your back.
Rearrange Your Desk
If you suffer from back pain at work, it could be relieved by something as simple as rearranging your desk. There are many different factors at work which can contribute to back and neck pain, with the way in which your desk is arranged being one of them.
For example, your computer screen may be positioned too low down, causing you to slump over to look at it. If you spend a lot of time typing, the position of your keyboard could also cause pain in your upper back and shoulders. To arrange your desk correctly, you should sit at your chair in a properly seated position and move everything around until you are comfortable.