4 Principles For Pain-Free Workdays

Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Alexander Jimenez shares some insights about a pain free workday.

#1. Use Healthy Posture & Movement Patterns

Considering all the emphasis on how little or much we should sit or stand at work, there is almost no discussion of technique in standing and sitting. Inferior technique slumpsitting, archsitting, parking weight is used by many people so on, and poorly on joints.

As long as this is actually true, any place is going to stack up badly in the research—we are starting to see it for standing and ’ve seen this for sitting. Sitting has been much maligned as “the new smoking”; and now standing as a replacement is being demonstrated to cause increased hospitalization due to varicose veins, atherosclerosis that is increased, etc. A good starting point is stretchsitting, to start the journey back to a pain free workday. Stretchsitting is simple, safe, comfy, and therapeutic.

Work with flannel, a towel, or a Stretchsit pillow so it contacts you at mid-back, below the shoulder blades.

• Scoot your bottom all the way back in the seat.
• Lean forwards from the hips, like a mini crunch is being done by you, and tip your ribcage forward.
• Push downwards on the armrests/side bars/seat pan of your chair to get a soft stretch in your lower back.
• Keeping the stretch, lean back out of your hips and adhere your mid back on to the Stretchsit pillow/towel.
• Relax completely, letting the Stretchsit pillow and come from the mini crunch /towel keep you in traction that is light.
• Roll each shoulder back and rest your hands close into your own body.
• Angle your chin down slightly, letting the back of your neck be long.

#2. Vary Your Baseline Posture

No matter how good your bearing, your body still needs a variety of places. Sitting and standing are the most practical positions for most occupations (example computer occupations)—I recommend switching between them every 20- 30 minutes. If other positions and motions are practical for doing your job (eg, walking when speaking on the phone), that’s an excellent bonus—the more baseline stances and movements, the better. (one sitting against backrest, one stack sitting, standing in a desk, and walking with telephone)

#3. Supplement With Rest, Exercise, Movement During & Outside The Workday

Use your breaks in the workday along with your time away from work to supplement your special service line spots. Do you need rest? Exertion? Stretching? Strengthening your abdominal muscles?… There are countless tissues and muscles within your body that have needs just like you are served by a diet that is diverse well, a movement regimen that is varied will also.

#4. Use Well – Designed Tools & Furniture

Experiment and learn with what constitutes furniture that is healthy this is an investment in the way you’ll be spending about half your waking life.