Working and Back Pain
With many of us now involved in jobs that require sitting for long periods of time we are becoming much more sedentary. Recent studies have tried to answer questions like; What is the best workplace set up for desk-workers? How long is it ‘safe’ to sit for? What can I do to decrease my pain related to work.
All these questions do not have a simple answer. Which can make it so confusing with all the information out there. Lets break down the best options for each of these questions.
What is the best workplace set up for desk-workers?
Many people believe that sit to stand desks are the answer but recent studies may not suggest that it is the only answer. A recent study by Kett and Sichting published in 2020 looked at a group of desk workers who sat for over 4 hours and then split them up into two groups. One group was instructed to then do a some tasks standings simulating a sit to stand desk. The other group was instructed to use a massage roller for 8 minutes. It was found that the massage roller group had decreased stiffness reported by workers whilst the group going from sit to stand actually had an increase in stiffness reported by workers. Furthermore, De Carvahlo et al, have found that standing for long periods at work does not decrease musculoskeletal pain any more than sitting for long periods. Parry et al, have also found that their is very little evidence to find that one thing is the answer for the best workplace setup or ergonomic that helps all people.
How long is it ‘safe’ to sit for?
For many people their job requires them to be stationary for long periods of time. For a large majority of workers within the mining industry it requires up to 12 hours a day sitting in machinery or standing for long periods. Pain is multifactorial and means that not everyone will have the same response to the same stimulus. Thus this gives us the answer of, it depends. Things that can impact it are; age, gender, weight, activity levels, diet, hydration, stress and sleep.
What can I do to decrease my pain related to work?
Everybody is different, we all will respond different, to different situations. The main take away that I find is important for all people to know is that ‘motion is lotion’. Why we feel stiff or in pain after long periods of sitting or standing is due to inactivity not due to the action itself. This is why it doesn’t hurt every time you sit down or stand. The best things you can do to help yourself are;
1. Try and move every 15-20minutes (even 30 seconds of movement is enough to help with inactivity)
2. Keep hydrated and have a good diet. (Even when the weather is colder it is very important to be hitting a minimum of 1L of water per day)
3. Get good quality sleep. (Trying to go to bed at a similar time each night and waking up at a similar time each day)
Main takeaways for workers experiencing pain related to their work:
1. Using a sit to stand desk is great where possible but is only going to help if you don’t spend too long in either position (change it up every hour)
2. Motion is lotion - getting some movement even if only 30 seconds every 15-20 minutes
3. Movement isn’t the only thing to be aware of. Sleep, diet and stress are all massive influencers and impacts on pain
4. Regular chiropractic care can help with restoring better joint mechanics that often are compromised with long hours of inactivity. Whilst also being able to have a better answer as what is right for you.
Sources:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31514046/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33074206/