When you are at work hunched over your desk, you might be more focused on helping a customer or finishing an order than you are about your own personal back pain. Unfortunately, if you are like most back pain sufferers, you might feel like there is nothing you can do about your problem when you are on shift. However, you might be able to alleviate lower back pain at work by trying these two things:
1: Focus on Weight Loss
Although it might be easy to blame your back pain on a recent injury or repeated bad lifting habits, the fact of the matter is that your bad back might be caused by those extra pounds you have been carrying around. In fact, according to the American Obesity Associations, back pain is particularly prevalent amongst obese individuals. Unfortunately, your time at work might not be helping your waistline. In addition to sitting in a sedentary position for hours at a time, you might also have easy access to break room treats and free soda machines. Here are a few ways that you might be able to focus on weight loss at work, so that you can take some of the pressure off of your back:
- Eat a Lighter Lunch: Instead of tagging along with your friends to that greasy burger joint for your lunch break, bring your own meal from home. Focus on high-protein lunches complimented with fruits and veggies.
- Look for Opportunities to Move: Sometimes when people get into work mode, they look for any reason to sit still. However, your lack of activity might only be aggravating your back pain. Instead, look for any opportunity to move. Park far away from your car, and choose the stairs over the elevator. You might be surprised with how much difference a little extra activity can make.
By eating a little lighter and staying active, you might be able to put less strain on your back and keep those muscles loose and comfortable.
2: Ask for Alternative Office Furniture
You might adore that leather office chair that you picked out of a catalog, but is it hurting your back? To protect your back, ask your boss for alternative office furniture. To keep office workers healthy and comfortable, many furniture manufacturers have created ingenious desks and chairs. For example, some rolling chairs have a large, removable yoga ball in place of a chair seat. Because the yoga ball forces you to use your core to balance, you might be able to alleviate back pain.
By focusing on alleviating your lower back pain, you might be able to enjoy a happier, healthier workday. To learn more, contact the experts at Southwest Florida Neurosurgical Associates.
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