Evox Fitness Concept

Tips for how to take care of your spinal column while at work

From decade to decade the technological advance and the increase of the comfort in our day-to-day are quite notorious. Daily tasks become faster and easier to perform, however, daily sedentary habits are present,  even at work.

Many are the professions that need to be performed in the seated position. At first glance it seems easy and comfortable, but over time the body reflects the dark side of the sedentary lifestyle. For example, the hip, which is an extremely mobile joint, is compromised by staying motionless for a long time. In this posture, the entire weight of the upper body (head, trunk, and upper limbs) will be directed to the hip, which increases intra-articular pressure, and shortens the flexor muscles of the joint and abdomen.

Bad postures and joint compression will wear out the vertebrae, discs and joints as pressure points increase in these areas.

It is very common to see people sitting in inadequate positions. A very frequent incorrect posture is one in which the person slides, while siting, until it rests only on the edge of the seat. We get almost the feeling that the person will slip and fall at any moment. The lumbar spine, the lower part of the spine, with this posture, is obliged to acquire a curvature contrary to physiological and in the medium / long term, this person it is clear that will suffer the consequences. Many disc diseases, such as hernias and discprolapses, arise from this inversion of lumbar lordosis.

And now the reader counterposes: "But I can’t  stop working! And my work is done sitting! "

Yes it's true we can’t stop working and there are jobs that require eight or even more hours always in this position ... For these cases, the solution Personal Trainers has to give are "micro-pauses".

If you still do not feel any pain, anyway you should stop work for only 2 to 3 minutes to get up and move around the workplace. Get up, drink some water, stretch your body and go back to work. If you are already experiencing pain and some joint disability, this 2 to 3 minute "micro-pause" should be done every 30 minutes.

These short breaks will not compromise your productivity, since after the break your body will be more relaxed and your brain more receptive to absorb information. If you insist on continuing to work without stopping, the body will show signs of tiredness and the sense of discomfort and will causeaattention deficit that can affect your productivity.

Another tip to relieve tension in the lower back is as follows: sitting in the work chair will leave the upper and middle back fixed, if possible in support on the back of the chair. The lumbar area will be the moving zone, in this exercise, will intercalate the tilt of the posterior, as the lumbar arches, with the pulling of the posterior inside also activating the abdominal musculature. You can even perform the exercise with the aid of breathing, that is, it inhales while tilting the posterior tail (it projects the tail backwards), expires and contracts the abdominal, allowing the posterior to move slightly forward.

This second tip will help reduce the excess tension accumulated at the muscle-articular level during the work day. This exercise also helps immensely in disc decompression.

Put these tips into practice and you will see that they will make all the difference!

Contact us to know more specific information.

Physio Lígia Santos text