Unlike their coworkers in the shipping department or the warehouse, office employees aren’t faced with as many immediate, work-related risks to their physical health. After all, most office workers aren’t asked to lug 50-pound boxes while steering clear of forklifts and shelf racking.
That being said, if you’re sitting in one place all day, your body is still at risk; it’s just that the risk is a little more insidious and less obvious. Joint and muscle pain start slowly, but before you know it, you could have a real problem on your hands “” or in them, as the case may be.
“If you’re sitting there for several hours per day, symptoms could start to emerge pretty quickly,” said Mike Chitwood, a licensed occupational therapist, certified ergonomic assessment specialist and team leader of the St. Elizabeth Business Health Center’s Work Rehabilitation Department.
To combat the aches and pains to which a sedentary office job can contribute, Chitwood has two simple pieces of advice: Get up and stretch.
By taking what Chitwood calls “micro-breaks” on a regular basis, office workers can shake off the pain and stiffness that sitting down in one place for a long period of time can cause.
Stretching relieves muscle stress and joint tension, and it helps get the blood flowing to the extremities. Chitwood recommends stretching the shoulders, wrists, forearms, hands and fingers if you can’t get up from your desk, while stretching the lower back and hamstrings is helpful when you’re up on your feet.
Stretching the muscles and joints isn’t the only thing Chitwood recommends. Your eyes deserve a break, too.
“It’s good to look away from your computer screen,” Chitwood said. “Sometimes, look further away, like to a door 20 or 30 feet away.
“Give yourself some breaks, because we take for granted how much our eyes are being strained all day long.”
For additional stories about staying healthy in the office, visit Healthy Headlines’s Work Healthy section.
