If you are like many Americans, your job requires you to spend the majority of your day seated behind a desk.
You have likely heard that this is detrimental to your health, leading to a variety of health issues and even a shorter life expectancy.
If your job requires you to sit down for hour at a time, schedule an appointment with our Marietta Chiropractors to learn how we can help you avoid chronic pain.
Back Pain Caused By Sitting At Your Office Desk
Sitting behind a desk for an extended period is also bad for your back.
Not only does gravity take an incredible toll, but the lack of movement causes tightening in your hips.
This means that, when you do finally leave your desk, your spine works harder to make up for these stiff hip muscles. The result? Back pain.
Stand Up for Your Back
The best thing you can do for your back is get up and move.
This doesn’t mean head to the gym (yes, you do need regular exercise, but that isn’t all that is required). Regular movement throughout the day is the most important thing you can do to ward off health risks related to inactivity.
How often is “normal” movement? At a bare minimum, you need to move once an hour, and twice an hour is ideal. This doesn’t have to be a full exercise routine.
Walk up and down a flight of stairs two or three times, do a lap around the cube farm, or perform some squats or lunges right at your desk.
Just a few minutes of movement twice per hour helps mitigate many of these potential health and back issues.
Stretches You Can Do at Your Desk
If a stroll around the office draws unwanted attention, or you’re just looking to mix things up, there are some exercises you can do right at your desk.
Start with a few stretches. Loosen your neck by touching your ear to your shoulder and holding it there for a count of five. Alternate shoulders and repeat until you feel loose. Stretch your chest by extending your arms behind your back and over your head. You can also stretch your back by placing your hands on your hips and slowly bending backward.
If you have access to a doorway (not always readily available if you work in a cube farm), place your hands on either side of the doorframe.
If you move forward slowly, you’ll feel a nice stretch in your chest.
Call AICA Marietta To Completely Avoid Back Pain
The only way to avoid back pain caused by daily rituals like sitting at your office desk is to schedule regular Chiropractic Adjustments with AICA Marietta.
Contact our clinic today to schedule your first examination by filling out our online submission form or by calling us at (678) 671-4010.