Lower back pain relief at the office

While lower back pain can interfere with any number of daily activities, one of the worst things, it turns out, is sitting in a chair all day long in an office. In fact, experts say, certain daily actions that you do every day at work may actually be causing or worsening your back pain. It turns out that even something as simple as rearranging your desk or answering your phone might be the trigger that can set off a new bout of back pain.

"Repeated low-level stress and strain can be something as common as poor sitting posture or constant forward reaching at work," says Thomas J. Herrmann, EdD, PT, a physical therapist and assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati's College of Allied Health Sciences.

Lower Back Pain Relief at the Office

As many people can attest, back pain can become so severe that it impacts your ability to hold down an office job. Karen Cotter of Burr Ridge, Ill., who has suffered from back pain for more than 10 years, knows that she was lucky to own her own business.

"I was severely limited in the amount of work I could do," says Cotter, who has degenerative disk disease and scoliosis." After two to three hours of trying to do my job, I often had to leave — I physically had to leave work. If I worked for someone, I highly doubt I would still have a job."


Cotter has found back pain relief through sessions with Jo Fasen, a physical therapist with the Physical and Occupational Therapy Department of the Northwestern Memorial Faculty Foundation in Chicago. Fasen endorses the McKenzie method, an approach to pain management that uses physical therapy and exercises focusing on spine extension. Today, Cotter does the McKenzie exercises a few times a day to keep her back pain under control, especially while she is working.


Tips for Lower Back Pain Relief on the Job

If back pain has you calling in sick at work, try these tips to help reduce your symptoms:

• Buy a comfortable, supportive chair.Your office chair should have good lumbar support and be adjustable so that you can move it to the appropriate height. "A chair that locks in a sit-forward, rigid-back position, such as the Aeron chair, is very helpful for those who use a keyboard throughout the day," says William O. Shaffer, MD, a professor, vice chairman, medical director and residency program director at the University of Kentucky. A supportive lumbar pillow in your chair can also help your back feel better, according to Cotter, who says she uses a lumbar-support pillow "religiously" to prevent back pain while she is working.
• Position your computer equipment to reduce strain.Your computer monitor should be set up in a straight line in front of you at your work station. The top of the monitor should be right at your line of vision. And your keyboard should be level with your hands, slightly below desk level (an under-the-desk keyboard tray is very useful for this). The point is that to avoid back pain, you should not have to hunch up your shoulders or lift your arms to type.
• Get a headset. Use a phone headset so that you don't have to twist and turn your neck and head to talk and hold the phone. Or, if possible, use a speaker on your phone if you can do so without disturbing the people around you.
• Move around. Get up from your desk and take frequent breaks, and never stay in one position too long. Try to work in at least a mile or two of walking each day, recommends Dr. Shaffer. Get up and walk around your office several times throughout the day, stretch, or if you’re pressed for time, just stand up. Start the day with some exercise. Park your car at the far end of the parking lot and walk as much as you can before you even get to your office, suggests Shaffer.

“I make it a point to get up whenever I think of it — I stand up. In fact, I try to work standing up as much as possible. I do one part of the McKenzie stretches… because you do them standing up," says Cotter. "When I catch that pain or start to feel a little uncomfortable, I do it. They're simple back bends, and that works for me."

Neglecting your back pain at work can make your life difficult at home once your workday ends. Before she found successful treatment and ways to cope for her job, Cotter was barely able to function after she left the office. "By the time I got home,” she says, “I couldn't cook, I couldn't do laundry, I couldn’t do anything. Lying down was the only thing I could do. "

Your Rights at Work for Back Pain Treatment

Your back injury may take several weeks or longer to completely heal. If you need time off, you should learn your rights. According to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), qualified employees are allowed up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave while recovering from an injury.

Your employer may also offer short-term disability benefits, which would allow you some partially paid time off from work to help you recover from your injury. Talk to your human resources department to find out what benefits your employer offers so that you can take time off to properly heal.

Bottom Line: Take some extra time during the day to give your back the attention it needs and prevent back pain from interfering with your job. In the end, your back will thank you, your employer will thank you, and you'll thank yourself when you’re able to successfully manage your life outside the office.

Read more about :  Facts about low back pain

  

Source : http://www.everydayhealth.com/back-pain/back-pain-management-at-office.aspx