How best to eliminate back pain at the office

How best to eliminate back pain at the office
Sustained and long periods of sitting still at our desks
are not good for our backs - this is obvious: but how best
to reduce the risks of backache and related stress? Getting
up to stretch and walk around at regular interval makes
very good sense, but many of us simply do not do it. And
according to the British Chiropractic Association amongst
others, this is one of many reasons why office-related
musculoskeletal problems are still on the increase.

A feature of modern working life is how easy it is to
become trapped into a sedentary existence. We spend long
periods using keyboards, even during lunch hour checking
emails, and then in the car or on the bus or train home. It
should be no surprise that the result of so much time spent
in a fixed position is an increase in the incidence of
neck, shoulder and back injuries. And it really is no
surprise that experts agree that it is vital to incorporate
more movement and flexibility into what otherwise are quite
static and sedentary working roles. But how to achieve this?

A recent study reported in the industry press suggested
that - as opposed to the age-old advice to sit up straight
- a slumped position actually appears to be the healthier
option. The study at Woodend Hospital, Aberdeen, Scotland
asked 22 volunteers with no history of back trouble to
adopt a slouch, a 90 degree and a 135 degree angled sitting
position, whilst being scanned by an MRI scanner. The
results showed the latter angled position to place least
strain on the lower back.

In spite of these somewhat controversial findings, office
furniture commentators have agreed that up to a point, a
reclining position can be beneficial, as long as the spine
is properly supported through good a quality office chair,
suitably adjusted. In particular, setting up the office
chair with a slight backward lean has always been thought
of as an ideal posture - as long as the lower back is in
complete contact with the back of the chair. However, such
a position is hardly appropriate for those involved in a
great deal of typing and keyboard-related work, where
leaning forward becomes the natural tendency.

One solution here is posture-monitoring software such as
the proprietary PostureMinder which offers a neat
software-based solution to the problem of injuries due to
poor posture at the desk. Such systems continually check
your posture via a webcam, and deliver on-screen reminders
to you when you have been consistently sitting badly for a
minute or two, for example.

Coupled with good quality office furniture and advice from
ergonomic experts in its proper use, such solutions point a
way forward to the problem. Good office seating should
follow the movement of the body and be flexible with it
whilst supporting it. Chairs should always have a good,
ergonomic, synchronised mechanism and come with solid
practical advice.

However, in the end, with proper office furniture in place,
plus footrests, flexible PC monitor adjusting arms, TCO
approved VDUs and all other ergonomic hardware, it remains
imperative to think less about the positioning of the
equipment - important as it is - and think more about
varying the position of the individuals using them,
including constant reminders to take short breaks and
varying the office routine as far as possible.

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Jimi St. Pierre writes for several Office Equipment
suppliers in the UK, including Principal Corporation. You
can find out more about office furniture on Principal's
comprehensive office equipment website at: =>
http://www.principalcorp.co.uk/