Font ResizeSlouching — instead of standing tall or sitting up straight — puts excess stress on the spine, and that can lead to back pain or even injuries. To really avoid back problems, however, it is important to not only stop slouching, but also to start moving.
In fact, staying in one position for lengthy periods is one of the biggest contributors to poor back health. Whether workers sit or stand for most of the day, it is crucial that they change positions and move around at least every 20 to 30 minutes. That movement does not need to involve a full-blown exercise session, but taking short breaks can make a big difference.
During a break, desk workers can simply stand up and stretch for a minute or two, or reach their arms to the ceiling while seated. Walking around a desk, moving the legs up and down, and turning the head away from a computer screen are other healthy actions that can take place in 30-minute intervals.
To keep from slouching at the office, employees should adjust their desks, chairs, keyboards and computer monitors to fit their individual needs so that the neck is not extended forward, the shoulders are not rounded and the back is supported. And they should readjust workstations when necessary if they share a desk with others.
For those whose jobs involve long periods of standing, it is just as important to move and stretch as it is for desk-bound employees.
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Sitting on a high stool for brief periods during a work shift can also help take weight and pressure off the back.
Anyone who does any lifting must use the leg and buttock muscles and proper spine alignment to prevent back injuries. To lift correctly, a person should bend at the hips and knees, get as near to the object being lifted as possible, and then hug the item close in to the body.
Picking up a 10-pound box and holding it closely puts only 10 pounds of pressure on the spine. By contrast, lifting that same box and holding it straight out in front of the body subjects the spine to 100 pounds of pressure, 10 times the amount!
Over time, improper lifting maneuvers and posture can cause back muscles and spinal discs to weaken. This may lead to injury with even the simplest movement, such as picking up a pencil.
Paying attention to body mechanics is necessary both on and off the job. That means that whether a person moves heavy boxes at work, places a grandchild onto a swing or carries flowerpots to the garden, the same rules for proper lifting techniques apply: Use the large muscles and proper posture when picking something up, and keep objects close to the body.
Another aspect of good body mechanics involves proper positioning of the head.
The skull weighs 10 to 12 pounds, approximately the same as a bowling ball. If the head is bent forward all the time the effect is similar to holding a bowling ball straight out in front of the body for several minutes — an exercise that puts tremendous strain on the arms.
Similarly, when the head is out of alignment with the rest of the body, it puts a great deal of stress on the spine, leading to headaches, upper/lower back stiffness, and fatigue.
While massage may temporarily reduce these aches and pains, getting into good shape through exercise can lead to longer-lasting results.
Anyone, from the young to aging adults, can improve back health by keeping moving — and stopping slouching.
Elizabeth Whitaker, PTA, CEAS, has been a physical therapist at Eden Medical Center for more than 25 years. She can be reached at 510-889-5064 or at whitake2@sutterhealth.org.
Whitaker will present a free seminar, "Back to Life: Back Care & Injury Prevention," at 9:30 a.m. Aug. 9 at the Eden Medical Center campus in Castro Valley. For more information and to register call 510-889-5078.
