Sitting for long periods? Here’s what can happen.

Sitting for long periods of time at an office desk?

Can you prevent or help ease back pain and improve your health?

The human body is designed for movement – walking, running and jumping…not sitting for long periods of time. When you are at your desk for hours, it causes a wide variety of negative effects on the body. Some of these include:

• Headaches
• Tension between the shoulder blades
• Carpel tunnel (pain in the palm of the hand and wrist)
• Neck pain
• Stiffness in the back
• Hip pain
• Poor posture
• Fatigue
• Vertebral disc compression

Throughout the day, it is important to get up and move for 10 minutes every 45 minutes.  This reduces the pressure on the spine and eases back pain caused by sitting for too long.

While it is essential to eat a wide variety of healthy food, walk as much as you can throughout your work day. Exercise at least three times a week and do activities that assist with relaxation like yoga, meditation and massage.

A Remedial Massage therapy approach to treating conditions such as headaches, neck pain and fatigue can be a great way to reduce pain, prevent them from recurring and improve your health.

Remedial massage is a non-invasive treatment that manipulates the soft tissues of the body. It involves a holistic approach to treating the whole body not only the area of concern. The aim of the treatment is to relax the mind, body and spirit.

Samantha Coert works as part of a multidisciplinary practice at St George Health in Kogarah. She specialises in treating conditions involved in work related musculoskeletal issues. She can also provide advice on correct posture while sitting and prevent recurring issues.

To improve your overall health when working in restricted office environments and reduce the symptoms of back pain, give us a call and make an appointment to start making a difference today!

Sam Coert – Massage Therapist