Quick Fixes For Computer-Posture Back, Neck and Shoulder Pain
Solution One: Spend Hundreds (Thousands?) of dollars (Not ideal)
Lots of people will suggest you can fix your workstation ergonomics by going out and buying a sit/stand desk.
Great idea, except this, can cost you hundreds, or even thousands of dollars
You can also keep booking back in with your favourite chiro, physio and/or massage therapist.
Again, that is OK to do, but it costs a lot of money and only will offer a temporary fix if you keep going back and doing the same thing that causes the problem (think of Einstein’s definition of insanity).
Solution Two: Take Two Minutes. Do These Four, Simple Hacks (Ideal!)
Here are four things you can do right now in under two minutes, at your desk or computer, to relieve pain without messing up your workflow (because your boss is watching right?).
If you don’t want to read about it, scroll down and watch Dr. Gord demonstrate the routine you can do at your desk/computer. ⇓
It is called a micro-break because it only takes one to two minutes. You can do this every 30-45 minutes without slowing down how much work you get done. So set your timer to remind you when and here is what you do:
- Look away: Your eyes get tired from staring at the same thing. Simply look away at something 15-20 feet away. This changes your eye’s focus and gives your eye muscles a break. You only have to look at something in the distance for about 15-20 seconds.
- Move your neck. Your neck gets stiff and tight from not moving. Do these movements: 1. Look over your left shoulder, 2. Look over your right shoulder, 3. Bend your neck to the left (left ear down towards left shoulder), 4. Bend your neck to the right (right ear towards right shoulder). Those neck movements took what, another 15-20 seconds?
- Roll your shoulders. Your shoulders also get stiff and tight from not moving. Think of the shoulders moving in a circle up, forwards, down and then backwards. Slowly roll your shoulders 5 times forwards and 5 times backwards. There goes another 15-20 seconds
- Stretch out those fingers and wrists. Lots of keyboarding and mousing tightens up our hand and forearm muscles. 1. Hold your arm outstretched, palm to the ceiling. Use your opposite hand to gently bend the hand/fingers towards the floor. Hold for 15-30 seconds. 2. Hold your arm outstretched, palm to the floor. Use your opposite hand to gently bend the hand/fingers towards the floor. Hold for 15-30 seconds.
There you go. In somewhere between one and two minutes, you’ve relieved all that pent up stress from sitting and working. You’re good to go again! Now get back to work before your boss catches you slacking off! 🙂
