You wouldn’t believe the number of Australians that get hurt at work every single year all across this country. Even though everyone goes through the right kind of health and safety training, it seems that everyone forgets everything that they have been taught the moment that they walk out through the door of the training room. If you work at a desk, then you are particularly vulnerable to experiencing some kind of back pain and due to the fact that you are sitting at the same desk in the same chair for up to 8 hours a day, it doesn’t come as a great surprise.
The one thing that you need to make sure that you have before you even sit down at your desk is an ergonomic office chair that is designed specifically to provide you with back support throughout your working day. Back pain is one of the top reasons why many Australians take time off from the job and is costing the Australian economy millions of dollars every single year. With that in mind, the following are just some of the top tips to help protect your back while in your workplace.
- You need to exercise your core – You can’t expect to have a strong back if you’re not doing the right kind of exercises to keep it in shape. There are many different types of exercises that will help to protect your back and some of the more popular ones are the plank and sit ups. If you need additional advice then talk to the trainer at your local gymnasium or have a word with your physical therapist.
- Make sure the office is ergonomic – This includes getting the right kind of chair that was mentioned before but also making sure that you have the right kind of desk as well. If you are working at a keyboard all day then the height of your desk and your chair needs to be in correlation with your keyboard. If it doesn’t feel right when you sit down then you can be sure that there is something wrong.
- Try to sit up straight – This is a lot easier said than done because many of us tend to relax in our chairs so our spine is not straight at all times. Good posture is essential and so you must try not to slouch at your desk and keep your monitor at your eye level so that while you are sitting, your posture is greatly improved. It is always a good idea to have a post-it on your monitor reminding you to sit up straight.
Another great piece of advice is to not sit at your desk for too long and to remember to get up and walk around for a moment. Take a walk over to the coffee machine and pour yourself a cup of coffee and that should be sufficient time away from your desk to give your back a well-deserved break.