Avoid back pain through PC work

Tips for back-friendly PC work: Small behavioral changes often already have a great effect

03/05/2012

Back pain, tension, headaches and circulatory disorders - everyday suffering of many „Schreibtischtäter“. If the posture is not correct, the sedentary work on the PC workstation makes you ill. Every third outage in the office is due to the consequences of wrong sitting. Experts from the orthonet NRW - a consortium of established orthopedists in North Rhine-Westphalia - give tips for the right posture and back-healthy behavior in the workplace.

„At least as important as the sitting position per se is to continually integrate dynamics into the work processes and to regularly vary the strains of certain parts of the body“, advises Dr. Ramin Nazemi, orthopedist and board member of the orthonet NRW. Office workers should therefore get up as often as possible, go, stretch, stretch or phone while standing. Two to three changes of posture per hour are the minimum for joint-gentle work. Paths to the toilet or to the kitchen are in a sense as small trim paths to the shoulders or shake out arms. An ergonomically correct posture and orientation of the workplace also has a positive effect on muscles and joints. Orthopedic surgeons advise to adjust the seat height so that the arms lie at a 90-degree angle on the table top. Upper and lower legs ideally form a right angle. At best, the knees are even a bit lower than the bottom.

The best place to put a desk is on the floor. To avoid pain in the shoulder and neck area, be sure to tap with supported forearms. Also, position the screen so that the top of the image is close to your eyes or slightly lower. Very important: Never place the monitor at an angle to the body, as this alignment causes a permanent rotation of the head and wears off intervertebral discs in the cervical region. Many also tend to kink and buckle in the upper back. „A round back is also an enormous burden on the intervertebral discs and restricts the breathing. Who sits like this, should not be surprised about back pain“, warns. Dr. Nazemi. Another very common seat sin is the overlapping of the legs. This position squeezes tendons, ligaments and nerves and in many cases leads to numbness and a tilted pelvic position.

But the best advice is of no use if everyday habits creep back in and the healthy attitude is not constantly under scrutiny. If it is difficult to show backbone for a long time, this may be helped by a note on the screen or the admonishing feedback of a colleague. As so often, perseverance pays off when it comes to maintaining a healthy work ethic. Even small changes in behavior can avoid long-term tormenting back problems and tension - including more performance. (Pm)