Your work environment is directly related to your health. Your office or job site is where you spend a substantial amount of time every week. Depending on the circumstances and requirements of your career, your back could be in serious jeopardy. Work shouldn’t be a place where you can easily become injured. To protect yourself from potential harm to your body here are a few tips.
1. Lift Objects The Right Way
When you are lifting objects you can’t do so without using the proper technique. It doesn’t matter if you’re lifting a ream of paper or a fifty pound bag of fertilizer; you need to use the right method of lifting to avoid injury. To pick up an item stand directly in front of it with your legs spread more than shoulder width apart. The next step requires that you bend your knees and pick up the object from the bottom. By bending at the hip and knee, you won’t have to use your waist. Bending at the waist can cause muscle strain and injury. You should always avoid lifting more weight than you can manage. If something looks like it might be too heavy, simply ask someone for help before you hurt yourself.
2. Watch Your Carriage
To minimize the occurrence of work related back pain you should always practice utilizing good posture. Posture isn’t just for when you are are standing up, it is also for when you are sitting down. When you use good posture, you will look and feel good.
3. Do More Activity at Your Desk and Beyond
If you sit at your desk for multiple hours every day, the way that you sit becomes very important. When you sit for an extended period, your muscles become lazy. To get your muscles to be more active you should take a break every hour and perform some kind of exercise. You can stretch, walk and do light back exercises within your office and on your lunch break.
4. Be Careful
Many jobs and careers require an extraordinary amount of physical activity. If you are a personal trainer, construction worker or athlete, there are always going to be physical demands on your body. You have to be fully aware of your limitations and the safest techniques for performing your job. If you are already having back pain you might want to reevaluate how much physical activity you continue to do and develop a plan that will limit the chances of aggravating your pack even more.
5. Work Smart Not Hard
Many times work related back pain is caused when individuals over exert themselves in an attempt to work harder. Using objects like a dolly for transporting heavier items is a way that you can work smart without putting your health at risk. Being mindful of how to simplify your job is a great way to reduce back pain.
Overall, your job shouldn’t incite back pain or make it worse. If your job is detrimental to your health talk to your boss or consider working in a different field.
Jesse is the co-founder and visionary CEO of The Healthy Back Institute®, the world-leading source of natural back pain solutions. His mission as a former back pain sufferer is to help others live pain free without surgery and pharmaceuticals.
