5 Strategies to Make Your Workspace More Neck-and Back-Friendly

We all know how bad smoking is for your health, so when people start calling sitting the new smoking, it’s not good news for those who spend their work days mostly seated in a chair.

This sedentary lifestyle can lead to many different health issues, but we want to focus on the direct impact that spending hours a day at a desk can have on your spine.

More specifically, we’re referring to back and neck pain, which are common problems — about 65 million Americans report recent back pain, and neck pain is the fourth leading cause of disability worldwide. While working at a desk isn’t responsible for all of this burden, it certainly isn’t helping.

Since there’s no way around a desk job for many of our patients, the spine health expert team at SOAR Spine and Orthopedics wants to review some best practices for protecting yourself against workspace-related back and neck pain.

1. Keep your head up

One of the main problems we see in workspaces is people working with their heads bent down. We know it’s called a laptop, but your lap is the wrong place for a computer as far as your neck is concerned.

Even if you're not working at a computer on your lap, but instead on one at your desk, we want you to raise the monitor or screen to eye level when you’re looking straight ahead.

If you spend hours a day with your head bent down, you’re placing far more load stress on your vertebrae and discs, which can lead to premature degeneration in your cervical spine. And, this is to say nothing of the stress you place on soft tissues, such as muscles, which can ache after a day of holding your head in a bent position.

So, grab whatever you can — reams of paper, flat boxes, or books — and get that screen and your head up.

2. Get a supportive chair

Another great practice is to ensure you’ve got the right chair for the job. You want to keep the entirety of your spine in as neutral a position as possible, which places the least amount of stress on your back and neck.

A great rule of thumb is to arch your back and then release it by about 15%, which should get your spine into a neutral position. Then you should find a chair that best supports this neutral position.

A chair with a headrest is a great idea as you can lie your head back and give your neck a break throughout the day.

3. Get out from behind your desk as much as possible

Many workers these days are finding ways to move despite their sedentary jobs. For example, you can take meetings on the go — walk and talk with your colleagues. You can also take phone calls on the move.

Our point here is to find ways to get out from behind the desk to relieve the tension in your back and neck that can build up after hours of sitting.

4. Keep both feet on the floor

When you’re seated at a desk, it’s critical to keep both feet on the floor. Crossing your legs is not a good practice as it puts further stress on your spine.

5. Set reminders

If you’re like many people, you might slowly slump as you work — you slide down in your chair, and your head falls forward. If this sounds familiar, we encourage you to set an alarm on your phone as a reminder to practice posture and movements every hour.  When the alarm goes off, get up, stretch, move, and then sit back down, paying attention to resetting your back and neck into a spine-friendly neutral position.

If you have more questions about protecting your back and neck from the stresses of a desk job, we’re happy to help you come up with a more customized plan of attack.

Contact us today online or by phone to book a consultation at one of our offices in Santa Clara or Redwood City, California.