How to prevent back pain at work

This article will give you a step by step guide on how to prevent back pain at work. Read on to find out exactly what you can do at work an on a daily basis to prevent or improve your backpain!

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Posture is the most important factor in preventing back pain. First and formost, if you are sat at a desk most of the day, make sure you get an Occupational Health Work Assessment. This will assess several things, including making sure your desk is at the correct height and that you are well supported in a good sitting position.

2. Never sit in the same position for more than 30-45 mins, even if you just get up and have a wander around the office or nip to the toilet to stretch your legs. Once you're up, give your lower back a nice stretch by placing your hands in the small of your back and stretching your ribs and upper back upwards and backwards, pushing your hips forwards.

3. If your job involves heavy lifting or lots of bending down, always make sure you bend at your knees rather than trying to bend your back / at your hips. Try and keep your back as straight as possible as you bend down, keep the load you are picking up close to your body and make sure your feet are hip width apart to give a good base of support to push up from when you stand back up. Try and suck in your abdominal (tummy) muscles when pushing back up into standing as these muscles act as a corset to stabilising and suppoting your back as you push back up into standing.

Tips & Warnings

• Whenever you bend down always pull in your abdominal (tummy) muscles to support your back when standing back up
• Never twist around if you're sat on your chair at a desk, turn your whole chair around or stand up and turn around, twisting will only worsen or cause you backpain in the long term.
• If your backpain comes on in the evenings, a couple of nice exercises to relieve it are:
• 1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the bed / floor (wherever you are laid down!). Keep your arms by your side and keeping your knees together gently rock them from side to side for about 5 minutes. Repeat atleast 2 or 3 times during the evening.
• 2. Lie on your back in the same position as above and gently lift your bottom about 3 inches from the bed / floor (again wherever you are laid down). This is called bridging, hold this position for about 5-7seconds and repeat up to 10 times, twice or three times per day.
• Sit ups and crunches are an excelent way to help stabilise and maintain pain-free backs as your abdominal muscles act as a corset to your spine keepng it nice and strong for everyday activities!
• Always see your GP if you are worried about your backpain, this advice is purely for mechanical ideopathic backpain caused by overuse / problems with posture at work / everyday activities.