How to reduce pain and increase energy throughout the workday.
It’s becoming more well known that staying physically active throughout the workday isn’t just better for your health.
It can also boost productivity, job satisfaction, and psychological well-being, too. Even if you work at a desk, there are plenty of simple things you can do to get moving more often.
Check out these five tips from our physical therapy team at Wellspring Health Center—tips we actually use ourselves!
How can physical therapy help me work better?
There’s a good reason why the phrase “sitting is the new smoking” was coined. Excessive sedentary behavior and sitting for too long (e.g., 7 or more hours per day) has been scientifically linked to an increased risk to potentially life-altering conditions like heart disease, obesity, and chronic back pain.
In fact, treating chronic pain is our passion!
We can help you recover from chronic pain and stay more productive at work by:
- Treating the root cause of your pain with holistic physical therapy methods like myofascial release, gentle spinal manipulation, medical massage. And teaching you specific exercises and stretches that are individually tailored to your body’s needs.
- Recommending specialized body tools, like kinesio tape, foam rolls or balls, myofascial release sticks, and more, to reduce tension and pain from sitting.
- Helping you optimize your ergonomic environment.
- Diagnose and treat underlying health conditions, like degenerative disc disease, sciatica, shoulder, wrist, and neck pain, which can make both moving and sitting difficult.
5 things you can do to stay well while working from home.
- Take walks during your lunch break. Sit down and enjoy your meal, but when you’re done eating use the remaining time to go for a walk. We know it’s tempting to just work through lunch. But if you take even just five minutes to get up and move mid-day, you’ll be staving off health risks associated with excessive sitting and you may very well find yourself with way more energy.
- Do yoga. Yoga is a great way to stretch tight areas, increase breathing, and relieve stress all at the same time. We recommend Yoga With Adrienne because she offers free online classes with short problem focused sessions which are user friendly for all levels of yogis.
- Modify your desk setup. Is there a way for you to install an adjustable sit to stand desk in your office? You may not even have to replace the whole desk—these days it’s easy to find high quality and affordable portable options online or in retail stores. You can also consult with a physical therapist to ensure the ergonomic set-up is ideal, so you can minimize any strain on your neck, back, shoulders, hands, and hips during the time you do spend sitting.
- Schedule “movement breaks.” Getting into the flow at work is a great feeling—but you don’t want to look up from your desk and see that one, two, three or more hours have gone by since you’ve gotten up from your desk! So, set a timer on your watch or phone to go off once per hour (or at least be more mindful of the clock) and use these breaks to stand up, go for a short walk, or do some simple stretches and exercises.
- Hydrate. Drinking more water throughout the day can improve mental clarity and support healthy joints and connective tissues. Plus, if you keep a glass or stainless steel bottle of water on hand, you’ll find yourself having to get up more often simply to refill the bottle or relieve yourself!
Why staying active is so important
Maintaining a high level of physical activity can possibly lengthen your life as well as improve the overall quality.
According to PT in Motion News, 80 percent of Americans aren’t meeting physical activity guidelines set forth by the US Department of Health and Human Services. Finding the time or the motivation to exercise is difficult for many people.
The truth, however, is that getting active can vastly improve your health, your comfort, mobility, and overall quality of life. That’s why it’s so important to stay active, even when you have a desk job.
Relieve chronic pain naturally to stay active and more productive.
Chronic pain can develop from prolonged sitting and poor ergonomics while working at your desk. Chronic pain can lead to dependence on pain medication and deter you from being active, which can affect the quality of your health.
Holistic physical therapy addresses the root cause of pain. It integrates holistic methods like myofascial release, joint mobilization, laser therapy, massage, and specific exercises and stretches.
Our integrative, holistic physical therapy approach is covered by most insurance plans, HSA and flex accounts. No doctor referral needed.
Contact Wellspring Health Center for a FREE Consultation today to learn more.
Sources:
- https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-11/du-isi111417.php
- http://www.apta.org/PTinMotion/NewsNow/2014/1/23/SittingAndHF/
Tags: Natural Pain Relief, Natural Treatment, Health, physical therapy, physical fitness, fitness, physical therapist, physical activity, health and wellness, Wellspring Health Center, Stay Healthy, chronic back pain
