When you’re sat at an office desk for the majority of your working day, this can cause major strain on your back, joints, neck and other areas of your body without you even realising it. Even with smaller aches and pains, these can escalate over time and turn into chronic pain, which can have a major impact on your day-to-day life; potentially affecting you both physically and mentally. We take a look at some of the most common factors that can lead to chronic pain in office workers.
Posture
If you sit for long periods of time in front of a computer with incorrect posture, this can quickly result in back and neck pain. There are a number of different areas to consider when it comes to posture, from the chair you’re sitting on, to how it’s positioned and where your keyboard is situated. Sitting with a strong posture can minimise fatigue in your muscles and reduce any unnecessary strain on your body.
Heavy lifting
Lifting something incorrectly even once can cause injury, so it’s important to ensure you follow the correct method for lifting and handling objects. This isn’t just important in manual professions, it’s equally as valid in an office environment.
Repetition
Working on a computer or with papers all day requires a lot of repetitive movements, no matter if it’s simply turning your head to another screen, clicking your mouse or typing on your keyboard. Repetitive movements over an extended period of time can put office workers at an increased risk of repetitive strain injury (RSI).
Inactivity
If your work is predominantly sedentary, it’s recommended that you keep moving as inactivity can put a surprising amount of strain on the body. Even for staff who consider themselves physically active outside the office, a survey conducted in 2015 found that the majority of workers spent less than 30 minutes of their working day on their feet.
Lifestyle
Someone’s lifestyle can heavily affect the amount of strain on the body, from the food that they’re eating to whether they’re a smoker and if they’re regularly active. Throughout all types of work, whether it’s manual labour or in an office, this can have a huge part to play in contributing toward joint pain.