Suffering from Office Posture

Office Posture Get out of the Slump with Healthsure

If you have an office job, it’s difficult to avoid the pitfalls of ‘office posture’ which can unfortunately lead to significant back and neck pain over time.

However, the problem is entirely fixable and working with a qualified physiotherapist can help you improve your posture gradually.

Postural issues can be attributed to lifestyle or working conditions and uneven pressure on the spine is the root of many back, neck and other muscular problems as well as larger structural issues in the body.

The human body has not evolved to be idle. Our bodies are designed for movement, and if we don’t move, this can take a serious toll over time which can lead to a decrease in your quality of life.

The most common problems which occur as the result of bad posture through prolonged periods of slouching are:
– Lower back pain
– Neck pain
– Shoulder pain
– Headaches

When we sit in a particular position for an extended period of time, this ‘trains’ the muscles in the body to shorten or lengthen, which places a significant amount of stress on the bones. Research shows that the longer people sit without a change in position or movement, the more likely they will be to develop a postural backache. If you consider that the average person with a desk job sits at their desk for 8.9 hours a day — according to the Get Britain Standing campaign — then it only makes sense over time a high percentage of the population will succumb to bad posture.

Prolonged periods of sitting with incorrect posture overextends spinal muscles and ligaments (soft tissue) which will eventually lead to pain. It’s important to get help from a physiotherapist as soon as the pain is registered, as this is a warning sign that something is wrong, and if is ignored, this will eventually cause damage to the muscles in the long term.

The main effect of having bad posture is with back pain. It’s estimated that almost half of the UK’s adult population will report lower back pain which lasts for at least 24 hours at some point this year, and the NHS will spend more than £1 billion on back pain related costs this year alone. Moreover, the findings of an exhaustive study — published in the Lancet and illustrated in the Economist — showed that lower back pain is the leading cause of disability in the vast majority of Western nations, including the UK, France, Germany, Canada, Spain, Germany, Canada and the United States.

However, the good news is that in most cases, bad posture is simply a bad habit. For example, it’s often the case that those with postural issues have a particular way of sitting which is causing their spine to compress. Over time, the body adapts to this and when the spine is in a compressed position for the majority of hours of the day, the muscles will become tighter over time.

However, a physiotherapist can help identify any postural faults and offer solutions to fix it. Central to strong posture is a strong core and strengthening your core muscles — including the stomach, lower back and pelvic muscles — will increase your body’s flexibility which will reduce the sprain on your spine.

If you are guilty of having ‘office posture’ or are suffering from back or neck pain, and think it may be due to postural issues, get in touch with us today at call us on 01236 702 079 or e-mail us at info@healthsurephysio.co.uk.

Also published on Medium.