Digitization has become a global phenomenon, and we are reaping the benefits of the digital world. But there is a big disadvantage as well. The digitization of the world has increased the number of sedentary jobs in the world. A plethora of jobs today include sitting for long hours. This habit of prolonged sitting can prove to be noxious.
In this pandemic, even field jobs are converting into remote jobs. The trend of the current work atmosphere is home office approved. So, the number of people having sedentary jobs has increased.
What are the effects of prolonged sitting on our back?
Sitting too much can cause some serious effects on your body, especially the back. It is observed that sitting for more than 6 hours without interruption causes serious back pain and various other problems. Sitting too much can cause a lower cross syndrome that will tighten your hip flexor and weaken your glutes. This can cause severe back pain in the long run.
Well, there are negative effects on the other body parts as well. Prolonged sitting has side effects like poor peripheral circulation, decreased insulin sensitivity, reduced lipoprotein lipase, and premature cell ageing. Now this problem looks important, right? Indeed, it is, and it can create various issues in the long run.
If you are suffering from back pain due to continuous sitting for hours, try these effective tips to improve your back strength and relieve pain.
Improve your Posture
Most people have a bad posture while sitting. Changing the way you sit can have a positive effect on your back pain. When you sit with an S curve, lower pressure is exerted on your hips compared to the C curve. Generally, we sit with a C curve, and thus it exerts more pressure on our hips.
You can try out various postural exercises to improve your back strength and posture. These exercises can help realign the shoulders and torso and can prevent the hunching effect and shoulders rolling forward. You can search the internet for these postural exercises and try them after consulting with your doctor.
Take Short Breaks
Well, we all know it is not practical to take long breaks during work. With the ever-increasing stress in work, breaks have become scanty, although they have positively impacted work productivity.
You should take small breaks while working. This will break the pattern of prolonged sitting, and blood circulation in the body will increase. An aching back and a stressed mind will negatively impact your efficiency.
It is advisable to keep a timer for 30 minutes while working. A break of 3-4 minutes will work wonders for you. You can perform some stretching exercises during this time, or you can walk around. It is also observed that taking short breaks while working improves efficiency.
Exercise daily
This step can be effective for most of your health problems. You know that you have a long day ahead in the morning, and you will be sitting continuously while working. So, why not exercise or do Yoga in the morning to prevent the impact of prolonged sitting.
You don’t have to hit the gym for 2 hours in the morning, and a 30-minute normal workout will be just as effective. You can include exercises that include actions of grab, bridge, and squats. These exercises will help you undo the damage by sitting continuously for hours. You can also include the different postural exercises in your workout routine.
Avoid repetition of movements that cause back pain
Repeating the activities that exert pressure on the lower back and hips is a prominent factor for back pain. Minimize these movements or avoid some movements if it is possible for you. Lifting actions and stretching to grab things can impact your lower back.
If you have a desk job, you can arrange the desktop and other work-related instruments correctly. Make sure you don’t have to stretch yourself very often to adjust the setup. Place frequently used items near your desk. Don’t stretch yourself to grab things, and you can grab them without straining yourself.
Use Ergonomic Furniture
Ergonomic furniture is specially designed for the comfort of people. Many offices have started using ergonomic furniture for their employees. You can buy this type of furniture to help yourself maintain the natural posture of the body. This furniture supports the joints and spine and maintain them in a natural position.
It is also observed that using ergonomic furniture can boost work efficiency. The different types of office ergonomic furniture are keyboards, mouse, mousepads, monitor stands, document stands, laptop stands, desks, ergonomic chairs, and chair cushions. This furniture can surely help to make your home office approved (homeofficeapproved.com).
