Desk Jockey Health

If you work a desk job, you’re probably aware of the ways in which prolonged sitting can negatively affect your health. Even if you haven’t read about it in an article somewhere, the neck and back pains you experience at the end of each day are proof enough in and of themselves. So what can a desk jockey do to counteract and prevent the adverse health effects of their job? 

First off, you should stand at your desk. Standing has been shown to have a variety of health benefits including improved circulation and metabolism. You can further improve your health by taking short breaks from your desk every hour or so. Walk around the office, stretch, do some push ups, whatever you can think of to break up the monotony of sitting for an extended period of time.

Make an effort to be aware of your body position and posture. Sitting hunched and contorted will hurt you much more than taking a seat with your sternum up, abdominals braced, and shoulders back. Try to keep your posture open and resting on your hips as you sit. Not only is it a more healthy posture, but it will also lessen the negative effects of bad posture in the long term.

Make sure that you move around every few minutes. Standing up and getting up to move around can greatly improve the circulation in your body as well as boost productivity and reduce pain levels. Walking around eliminates any motionlessness which can occur when you are sitting for hours at a time, while taking short breaks will help prevent the pains which come from sitting for long periods of time.

Furthermore, you can try to make up for the lack of muscle usage by working out harder and more often at the gym. By doing some compound exercises a few times per week, you can help ensure that you have a strong core and balanced musculature.

For whatever damage inevitably remains, you can engage in corrective exercises that will help make up for any posture issues or musculoskeletal imbalances. This includes looking away from your computer screen as well as movements and stretches like overhead arm reaches and cat/cow. 

One more thing to note for those who sit for hours each day is that sitting too much will cause you to develop bad posture and can lead to spinal disc herniation. The way around this is to get up and move around every 30 minutes or so. While you’re at it, work on your posture as well, as it will help prevent disc herniation in the long run.

If you are unsure of the steps to follow, or do not know how to proceed, I would suggest you call our office and ask how we might be able to help. Our chiropractor and massage therapists are trained in the latest treatment methods for these injuries. They can also advise you on ways to correct a bad posture or prevent future incidents from occurring. Good luck and I hope this helps!

Here are a few videos that can also help: