Back pain in office

Twinflower

I work in office during 5 days from 7 and considering my current job (I'm a copywriter) I need to sit during my working day really much. In the beginning it was ok, however later I started to suffer from back and neck pain because of this, expecially closer to the end of the working day. Sadly I have no opportunity for more moving and even making at least several simple physical exercises is a problem because our office is really small... What can you suggest me to do? Maybe there are some other solutions for my problem? Feeling that pain almost every day is really frustrating...:((

.Wiki

Have you considered using a standing-desk? An ergonomic chair or even a gymnasic-ball to sit on during work could help to reduce your pain.

sacboi

First and foremost as soon as possible, I'd suggest conducting a Ergonomic Self Assessment or akin procedural activity available in your region:http://www.igergonomics.com.au/ergonomic-self-assessment-and-checklist.htmlThis checklist is to assist in setting up your workstation in line with basic ergonomic principles and to minimize the risk of musculoskeletal disorder.When setting up the position of workstation furniture it is important to experiment and try new positions to find the most comfortable. Remember to give your body a chance to get used to the changes, it may take several hours or even days to find the best position.When working at the computer it is also very important to take regular breaks. Frequent short pauses should be taken for 5-10 seconds every 5-10 minutes. In addition at least 5 minutes of every hour should be spent doing non computer related tasks. Meal breaks or rest periods should also be taken away from the computer and repetitive recreation (eg. knitting) should be avoided during these breaks.It is recommended that you work through this checklist with another person to observe each others posture and position and make adjustments to your workstation accordingly.(original link broken)https://www.csu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/1655964/Ergonomic-Self-Assessment-V1-2015.pdf

ExcessiveZero

it does kind of feel inevitable sooner or later to experience this, ontop of what others have said I would suggest hyper  regular stretching through the day and ensure your seated posture is good 

mspalante

The people there gave a very good ideas, also i learned a lot with NeonSun i want one of this !!
I know very much your problem, when i was younger i wanted to be Strongman and also MMA fighter, well not was glorious and i ended this story with some broked bones and with a herniated disc on the last vertebrae, so that gives me a lot of  back and neck pain, like everyday..
What i do normally:
Stretching before and after work.
Do some breaks when you start to feel the back starting to asleep...

I bought a gamer chair, that really improved my posture (but i need to do some 5-8 minutes breaks after 2 hours )

And if you got really destroyed like if a Transformer made a overrun on you..
Buy some thermal bag and put on the critical place and before sleep do that position on the photo:
hug your legs for some time!!

Like this photo


Hope that i helped !!  

Nam.Nguyen

ExcessiveZero said:

it does kind of feel inevitable sooner or later to experience this, ontop of what others have said I would suggest hyper  regular stretching through the day and ensure your seated posture is good 

This.

I take a break for every hour, instead of sitting through 4 hours, just work 50 minutes and take a 10 minutes break (I have a timer for this). Stand up, stretching a little bit, go grab a cup of coffee, tea, water, whatever  or just go around the office

MiAlx

i've been using a lumbar cushion for half a year now and now i have no more pain the back, just the neck area, still found nothing proper to fix that.

throttlekitty

Twinflower said:

I work in office during 5 days from 7 and considering my current job (I'm a copywriter) I need to sit during my working day really much. In the beginning it was ok, however later I started to suffer from back and neck pain because of this, expecially closer to the end of the working day. Sadly I have no opportunity for more moving and even making at least several simple physical exercises is a problem because our office is really small... What can you suggest me to do? Maybe there are some other solutions for my problem? Feeling that pain almost every day is really frustrating...:((

I'd definitely go through the checklist @sacboi posted. As you work, try to take a look at yourself posturewise. What can you change about the height, distance and angles of your chair, desk or monitor? Do you end up slouching or leaning after a while?

Odow

I don't know where your work, but in my city most studio offer weekly massage. They are therapeutic more than they are relaxing and are made to help with back pain, if they are offer you should definitively go, it help a lot, or go outside the office once a month for an hour massage if you have insurances it's pretty cheap and affordable to go at least once a month.

antweiler

Another thing that helps as a prevention against backpain is to train the muscles of your back (and the belly). So go to a good gym, where the issue can be adressed. Additionally, workout will make you happy and sexy

lucasz

Can only go with @antweiler - Depending on the Working Hours too much Sitting and bad Nutrition can even lead to muscle degeneration. So another way to cope / help would be to change your diet - there's different methods from eating eight little meals a day from only eating at night. Maybe consider going to a fitness trainer/doctor to test whats best for you or give you more tailored advise to your Body.

I actually met one guy who had the same Issue and he said after he started his diet ( only eating in the night/ evening, like one meal but bigger ) he didnt experienced any back pain anymore - after eating breakfast / lunch he does.

BrianShray

I use a Lumbar support on my chair at work to ease any tension/pain in the lower back region.
And at home, since im on my PC alot, i got myself one of those 'gaming' chairs. 
To my surprise, its been really great overall and well worth the price. 
I'd highly recommend getting one. 

Ashervisalis

I actually broke my back last year in a snowboarding accident. For a while, I did physio, stopped, and then had to start taking physio again. It helped strengthen everything, but I was still getting pain. For the last month I've been doing yoga instead, and it's helped an incredible amount. In fact, a recent study showed that yoga is just as effective at reducing back pain as physio;
http://time.com/4825261/back-pain-yoga-physical-therapy/

Cool thing about yoga classes is that you can sign up for a studio and do it every day, whereas every physio session is going to be between $75-100. And you'll actually get a good workout with it. Combine yoga with good posture and hopefully that would reduce so much back pain.