Did you know that one of the most injury filled jobs in the world is that of the typical office worker, even more so than construction workers or those on oil rigs. Seriously, your desk and chair are literally deadly weapons.
But how is this possible I hear you say? Well it doesn’t take a genius to figure out being locked into a chair and desk not tailored to your specific body type is a recipe for a ton of mobility problems. Take it from someone who has experienced both rounded shoulders and a damaged piriformis muscle (which is ungodly painful and stops you from walking via pressure on the sciatic nerve) that sitting at a desk all day is not what humans were meant to do.
Cases of general work related mobility problems have risen to crazy levels in the last 20 years and who would have thought that being behind a desk would be so dangerous.
This post is for those who’ve experienced these problems or want to do something to prevent them for the long term. I will warn you, that the sooner you start a mobility routine to combat this, the more pain free you will be in life.
So the most obvious starting point is to work on your posture and make this far better when at your desk – no slouching!!. A quick google search will give you the basics on this, but it’s not just about your posture. In experience with my own mobility problems, it also comes down to doing more of the little things everyday to keep your body pain free.
Simple techniques to use today
- Get up from your chair every 30 minutes and move around
- Go for a walk at lunch
- Implement a simple 5–10 min stretching routine in the morning and afternoon.
The first two two points are pretty simple to introduce today, but I know some of you will be moaning that you don’t have enough time to complete a stretching routine twice a day – but if you want to be pain free, you’ll make the damn time. You can build your mobility routine to help prevent desk bound injuries with the below movements.
Band pull aparts: Targets your shoulders and will help pull them back to a natural position.
Face pulls: Again a great movement for your shoulders and helps to pull them back into place.
YWTL: Another staple shoulder joint movement in my routine.
Hanging: A super simple and effective stretch for the shoulders, just find a bar and let your arms hang.
Piriformis release: Grab a lacrosse or tennis ball and get deep into those glute muscles.
Leg to knee cross: Great for your lower back and glutes.
Glute bridge: Key move to keep your hips loose and glutes active.
What next?
Now you don’t have to do every single one of these movements. Pick a few that work for you and build them into a daily routine and daily being the key word here. Only performing a short mobility drill when you feel pain is useless, we want to work on prevention and the best way to do this is through moving everyday.
Look after yourself
Don’t let your body be broken by the sedentary lifestyle, learn from the content above and put thought into action. Stay pain free and get moving.
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Originally published at medium.com