Are You Sitting at Work or at Home Right Now?
By Sandy Schroeder
The questions about sitting are growing louder as health experts say too much sitting can be as bad as smoking. If that gets your attention, then the next question is obvious. How do we keep working and protect our health?
Health experts say we may need a two-pronged attack. See your doctor or chiropractor for a pain assessment, and keep moving with simple stretches and ergonomic changes.
Seeing Your Chiropractor
The Joint Chiropractic clinic’s doctors of chiropractic help individuals find answers for pain without prescription medication or surgery every day.
Gentle targeted spinal adjustments may provide far-reaching pain relief and overall wellness. Weekly 15-minute spinal adjustments may keep the benefits coming and provide time to work on the issues with tips like these.
Stretches and some suggested fixes from Rachael Grumman Bender at Fast Company:
Loosen the back's muscle tension - While sitting, move the pelvis forward and back, raise hips and round the back. Ergonomics - Get an adjustable office chair or use a lumbar pillow to fully support the back and keep feet flat on the floor.
Release muscle wrist tension - Put palms and fingers together in front of chest, point fingers up, elbows out. Lower hands to feel a stretch. Hold for five seconds. Ergonomics - When typing let wrists float over the keyboard and use a wrist rest for the keyboard and mouse.
Soothe neck and shoulders - Lower the right ear toward the right shoulder. Hold 20 to 60 seconds. Repeat on other side. Ergonomics - Keep the computer monitor straight ahead and use adjustable arm rests to relieve tension in shoulders.
Use breaks to rest eyes - Look away from the screen every 20 minutes for 20 seconds. Step away for short walks. Ergonomics - Put the computer monitor 20 to 40 inches away with the top of the monitor at eye level. If you wear glasses, don’t use reading or distance glasses for screen work. Get a prescription for computer glasses and keep them by your computer.
Relieve tight hips - Relieve tight hip flexors. Kneel on left knee and move right foot forward at a 90-degree angle. Move the pelvis forward and bend the front knee tucking the bottom under to feel a stretch. Hold for 30 seconds. Switch to other side.
Move every 20 to 30 minutes - Keep hips loose with ongoing breaks to reduce pressure and improve circulation.
Stop by The Joint Chiropractic clinic near you to get started. Find out about affordable personal health care plans that require no insurance, evening and weekend hours, and walk-in visits. No appointments are needed.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Austin, Tex.