At the end of the workday most people come home to find that they have an insanely sore back, and have no idea why. This is because most people are doing things throughout the day that eventually take a toll on the muscles in their back, and they don’t even realise!
However, you’ll be pleased to know that there are definitely things you can do to avoid the strain on your back – you’ll stop injuring yourself at work in no time.
Stay fit!
Maintaining a healthy weight and BMI can help to minimize the stress on your back. When your body is in the overweight category, your back has to work twice as hard – this leads to back pain, muscle strain and serious injury. Most health professionals recommend about 10 – 20 minutes a day of exercise – this can be anything: running, walking, yoga, swimming, riding a bike – whatever you please!
Watch your posture
Stop slouching at your desk and you’ll immediately notice a difference in how sore your back is after a day’s long hard work. The best way to monitor and rectify how you’re sitting is by getting a chair that has room to allow both your feet to comfortably touch the floor, and keep your knees in line with your hips. The curve of your back also is important so if you sit at a straight-backed chair, place a small pillow or even a rolled up towel there, it does the trick!
Lift things properly
When you’re in a rush, you tend to lift heavy objects quickly, which usually is the wrong way, proving detrimental to the safety of your back. Lifting heavy items should always be done by bending at the knees, tightening your core muscles, holding the object as close as possible/practical to your body and ensuring you maintain the natural curve of your spine. You should always go with your instincts too, if your body is telling you that the object is too heavy for you to lift, don’t lift it! If you’ve seriously injured yourself while at work doing a task like this, you may be eligible for workers compensation; you can head to www.tfqlawyers.com.au to find out.
Trust your instincts
On a daily basis our bodies give us messages that we should always listen to – ignoring your stomach saying it’s full and eating the last slice of cake is okay, but ignoring when it tells you to slow down is not. Your body may be trying to tell you that it is tired and needs a break – if you ignore this you need to be prepared for serious injury to occur. If you sit down at your job all day, ensure you listen when your body tells you a certain limb is sore, get up and move it! If your butt gets tired and sore from sitting down, get up and make a coffee. Listen when your body tells you it needs a break.
Hopefully by using these simple tricks you’ll start to notice a decrease in the back pain you feel after work. The most important thing to remember is to listen to your instincts, sometimes pushing past the pain isn’t the best thing to do!
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