Why Having Workplace Ergonomics Isn't Enough

“My chair isn’t right, that’s why my low back hurts all the time.” “My boss won’t pay for a standing desk, so I guess I’ll just have bad posture.”

While taking care of your workplace ergonomics is important, it’s not enough to prevent all neck and back pain, nor will it help you achieve better posture.

Why? While it may feel like you’re at work “all day” the reality is you do spend most of your time away from your desk, even if you’re just sleeping. How your posture is maintained during these activities can play a big part in helping you avoid spine problems, but I see that most patients are solely focused on their office’s desk.

Let’s break up your day into 3 areas; Work, Sleep, and Not Work.

Work Posture

Keeping it as simple as possible; think neutral angles. The fastest, easiest step to take is to raise up your monitor. I don’t agree that the top of the monitor should be at eye-level. Rather, the middle of the screen should be at eye-level.

Your head weighs 8-10 lbs and every inch your head is forward creates an additional 10 lbs of strain. It’s almost better to have your monitor too high than too low. If need be, stick a couple of books under the monitor stand and get as high as you can comfortably go.

Make sure everything is in front of you, so that you’re not twisting your head to the right or left to look at your screen. Multiple screens? swap the information that you have on your screen with other screens from time to time. Don’t keep your dominant screen in the same location (for example, if you usually have your e-mail on the right screen, move it to the left).

Sleep Posture

Best advice here? Don’t sleep on your stomach. This causes you to turn your head all night, changing your muscles. It also jams up your lower back. No good can happen to your spine from sleeping this way.

The best option is on your back, but this can prove to be a difficult transition for stomach sleepers. It can also prove challenging if you snore. Sleeping on your side is the next best option, so do that.
Best to hug a body pillow, with part of it between your knees. This will take pressure off your shoulders and your lower back.

Not Work Posture

This is the tough one for me to lay out for you, because everyone can have such varying activities that it’s tough for me to give you specifics without knowing you and what you do all day.

Most spinal issues will come from things you do repeatedly, or things you do for long periods of time. If you keep having the same problem over and over again, you just need to stay alert for the offending activity. A small change, a minor tweak, a slight adjustment can make a big difference when the action is taken often.

Most obviously is how you look at your smartphone. It’s not necessary for you to stare down at it in your lap. Lift it up, read at eye-level whenever possible. Remember, it’s the weight of your head that’s causing the issue, so try to keep your head over your spine as often as you can.

Why Aren’t Workplace Ergonomics Enough?

Because you do so much more in your day! It’s simply not enough to to “sometimes” sit at your desk correctly and neglect all the other areas of your spine.

Dr. Philip Cordova is a chiropractor in Houston, TX and a 1997 graduate of Parker College of Chiropractic. For more information visit http://www.corechiropractic.net. His bio page is located here.

Debunking Chiropractic Myths

Chiropractors Are Not Real Doctors: 

This myth has been around for a long time. The basis is that because chiropractors don’t receive an M.D. (Doctor of Medicine) that they aren’t real doctors. However, Chiropractors hold a D.C. or Doctor of chiropractic degree meaning they specialize in locating, detecting, and correcting vertebral subluxations also called misalignments of the spine.

Like all doctors after finishing their undergraduate program chiropractors must complete a graduate program which typically last 4 years. Licensure for chiropractors must be held on a national level and requires that the chiropractor pass a four part National Board of Chiropractic Examiners Test. Again, like all doctors, chiropractors are required to take part in continuing education each year to keep their licensure.

I Can “Crack” My Own Back: 

Everyone has felt or heard their back “crack” or “pop” at some point. Many people can crack their back on demand and do so often because it feels good and seems to relieve tension or the “stuck” feeling.

The problem with this is that there is not plan or knowledge of what the underlying issue is that is causing the “stuck” sensation. When someone “cracks” their own back they are forcing bones into random places until they feel relief. This can be very dangerous often time causing more damage than good and can have harmful long-term affects.

When you get adjusted by a chiropractor you receive relief while having the reassurance that your bones are being helped back into the correct places so that your spine is properly aligned. When subluxations, a bone out of place that is not completely dislocated, of the vertebrae in the spine are present it can cause nerve interference, nerve irritation, or even a pinched nerve leading to pain and deteriorating function.

Adjustments to your spine can correct the subluxations affecting your nervous system allowing for better communication within your body and greater overall health. A chiropractor is the only doctor scientifically trained to detect and correct subluxations and restore normal nerve function.

Once You Start Getting Adjusted You Have To Come Back Forever: 

The “once you start you can’t stop” myth has been floating around for years leaving many confused about the length of chiropractic treatment needed. For many, treatment length depends on any injuries or illnesses they are experiencing at the time and may range from 1 week to 3 months or more.

However, in no case, once you begin chiropractic care are you required to continue coming regularly for life to keep receiving relief. Chiropractic, unlike pain medicine, gets to the root of your pain and works to fix the underlying issues so that you can live life naturally pain free.

When you solve the root problem you are always looking at a more permanent fix than that of just covering up the pain. Once any initial issues are resolved many choose to continue getting adjusted here and there for “tune ups” just as you would go to the dentist for cleanings.

Dr. Brandon Siegmund is a chiropractor in Houston, TX and a graduate of Texas Chiropractic College. For more information visit http://www.corechiropractic.net. His bio page is located here.