Episode 17 Helping YOU Fix Your Computer Posture, so YOU can Fix Your Pain.

If you sit for most of their work day (think > 4 hours), you are considered “sedentary,” a medical term indicating you are at a higher risk for certain diseases as well as musculoskeletal disorders. 

With the recent publication of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s Total Worker Health Report(2017) addressing the hazards of occupational sitting, the implications of prolonged sitting on your health  has become a real issue. 

Today you will learn:

• The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in sedentary occupations.
• How to identify Forward Head Deviation (computer posture) and learn the toll it takes on our bodies.
• Strategies to correct posture, including corrective work breaks (designed by corrective exercise specialists).

Why do we need to address this topic?

1. Sedentary occupations are impacting health
2. You are most likely in pain from your sedentary occupation.
3. If your company isn’t already addressing the hazards of occupational sitting, trust me    it is coming your way soon.

Baseball players are known for developing pain in their rotator cuff. Tennis players in their elbow. And Desk Jockeys… in their neck, back AND shoulders.  When we sit for long periods of time in poor posture, we develop what’s known as computer posture. AKA Tech Neck, Rounded Shoulders, Forward Head Deviation… And it’s taking a toll on our bodies. Forward head posture not only leads to chronic pain, it can cause numbness in the arms and hands, improper breathing, pinched nerves, fatigue, and headaches.

{Are you sitting tall yet? Chest lifted, shoulders back and down, belly in?}

It’s no wonder that 74% of office workers experience pain from sitting at their desk and 10% claim to be in pain for most of the day. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) defines prolonged sitting as an occupational hazard of sedentary occupations. It makes sense, then, that low back pain caused by a sedentary lifestyle both at home and at work now tops disability concerns, according to The Global Burden of Disease. 

[Here’s What Happens When You Slouch]

Our heads weigh a lot—as much as a bowling ball (about 10 pounds). When we sit in proper alignment, our bowling ball heads are stacked correctly with our ears over our shoulders, requiring no extra work for the rest of our bodies. But--when our heads jut forward (called Forward Head Deviation) towards our computer screens, our shoulders round and the muscles, bones and nerves in our neck and shoulders are taxed. In fact, for every inch our head leans forward, our backs feel an additional 10 pounds. So, that 10-pound head leaning 4 inches forward, now feels more like a 40 pound head. Over time, certain muscles become long and weak, while others shorten and become tight.

[How To Correct the Slouch]

Computer posture is preventable and there are simple strategies to infuse throughout your work day to reverse the slouch. 

1.    Ergonomics.

Here are the basics....

Eyes: The top of the monitor should be at your eye level.
Elbows and Knees: both should be at 90 degrees
Wrists should be straight OR below the elbow.
Feet should be flat on the floor.

For a more detailed ergonomic image, check out https://www.osha.gov/Publications/videoDisplay/videoDisplay.html

2.    Walking breaks.Our bodies were meant to move. Get up and walk around and as you do start to realign your body, standing tall with chest lifted, shoulders down.

3.    Corrective Work Breaks.When we are seated for the majority of the day, it’s not just our backside that weakens; all of our muscles become weak. So, when we try to stand, walk or move, our