Fitness exercises in the office against tension

Tension: These fitness exercises in the office can help

08/05/2014

Throbbing headaches and neck tension: Many people are familiar with such symptoms after a long day at the desk. But you can prevent that. If employees in the office regularly sacrifice a few minutes and do exercises, they can enjoy their after work more relaxed.

Physical pain through office work
It is clear that office work is not physically exhausting compared to a job on the job site. But ailments such as headaches or a stiff neck are also present in many who sit in front of the screen all day. According to a dpa report, the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (Baua) has determined that eight out of ten (80 percent) VDU workers complain of physical pain. Especially the back, shoulders, head and arms cause problems. However, regular exercises can help prevent or relieve the pain.

Exercise for back pain
Nils Franke from the health insurance AOK said that about one quarter of all disability sick days in Germany are due to musculoskeletal disorders. The osteopath and physiotherapist Michael Rau from Ingolstadt recommends the following exercise while sitting, to prevent back pain: The arms are placed crosswise on the shoulders, with the elbows touching and pressing against the chest. The back is curved and the feet lie flat on the floor. The upper body now moves to the right in one direction until it stops. Here, employees should take a deep breath. Then, as you exhale, turn slowly to the left in the other direction. „This exercise and all others can be repeated ten times on a working day“, so rough. At home, back pain exercises can also be performed while lying down, whereby it is always advised to stop them as soon as they cause further pain.

Exercise with towel against discomfort in the neck area
If office work causes employees to have problems in the neck area, such as a stiff neck or a stinging in the neck, there is an exercise in which a small towel is held in place by two corners and laid back with the longer edge. The towel is then pulled forward along the cheekbones until the towel tenses. The hands now move up and down, with the head following the movement. Rough advises that this exercise should be repeated several times, with the position of the towel edge at the neck varying. In order to relax the muscles in the neck area, natural healing also occasionally makes use of so-called progressive muscle relaxation.

Eyelash and mouse arm
For eye flickering or tired and cloudy eyes help all activities that lead away from the screen. As Prof. Ute Latza of the Baua explained, this could be a walk to the copier. In addition, help a warm cloth, which is placed on the eyes for a few minutes. Furthermore, employees can massage their eyes by placing their fingers on the eye sockets and circling around the eyes with a little pressure. Sufferers of carpal tunnel syndrome, popularly called the mouse arm, experience symptoms such as tingling and falling asleep in the hands and wrist pain. As Prof. Latza explained, it is especially important that the computer mouse slides properly and does not stall.

Exercises and sports at leisure
It is not clear to many people that the cause of the pain usually comes from the cervical spine. Therefore, the following exercise offers, either sitting or standing: While one hand is supported in the pelvis, the other hangs on the body. Then the head tilts to the side where the hand is in the pelvis. Now the movement begins: The shoulder is pulled with the adjacent arm vertically upwards and again downwards. Employees raise their shoulders as soon as the nerve in the first three fingers of the hand or the muscles on the neck tingles. Employees are generally advised to do exercises not only in the office but also in their free time. In addition, it is recommended to do sports in the leisure time, ideally back-friendly variants such as swimming, cycling or hiking. (Ad)