How to Prevent Back Problems at Work
You can hardly afford to let back problems interfere with work. Because work schedules can be adversely affected by physical inabilities caused by continued back problems, it’s best to look for ways to prevent or alleviate pain in your back. In cases of unspecified medical conditions, back aches could probably be the result of a combination of factors. These may range from genetic to lifestyle-related problems. Certain sedentary jobs are also known to aggravate the back. Back pain can make it difficult to concentrate on the job at hand, but making the effort to find out what triggers workplace back problems can help you avoid it. Whether it’s a dull ache or a throbbing sensation, it can hamper your pace of work, so doing a little research will go a long way in helping you on your road to recovery.
Additionally, many occupations, such as nursing, that require odd positions and frequently bending over also make significant demands on the back. Even so, routine office work can still cause back distress. Here are a few suggestions to help avoid back pain by understanding what causes them and focusing on prevention.
The chief work-related factors associated with back pain are exerting too much force, repetitive physical movements, awkward body postures and even mental pressure or stress, which lead to muscle tension.
If there is no direct medical problem, then back aches are commonly due to lack of exercise-it’s always best to remain fit. If a back problem persists despite exercise, then you need to consider looking into the cause. For instance, it could be a wrong chair, incorrect height of a table or continued wrong posture.
Remember, even if you have a job that requires continued activity, it is not an alternative to exercise. You need to regularly include a balance of cardiovascular workouts and muscle training in your exercise program to help keep your back in healthy condition. You also need to keep your weight in check. Appropriate weight as per height helps minimize stress on the back.
Certain strengthening and stretching exercises that focus on toning your back muscles are very helpful for preventing back aches. Such strengthening exercises help your back muscles as well as your lower spine. Strong and flexible muscles keep the back fit and healthy. You also need to pay proper attention to posture. Bad posture always affects the back. Slouching or sway-back positions where you compromise the bodies natural position causes muscle fatigue. You can almost always keep back muscles in good order just by keeping a healthy body balance. Finally, if you have anything stressful weighing on your mind, then you need to address it immediately. Being under constant mental stress causes your muscles to tense. The more stress you experience, the lower your tolerance to pain-minimize your sources of stress and develop coping mechanisms.