After your regular workday, do you experience neck stiffness, painful shoulders, strained back, and postural aches after your regular workday?
The pandemic and the work-from-home culture have bound everyone to the desks and reduced your daily level of physical activities. If your regular work involves sitting almost the entire day in front of a digital screen, you’re not alone. There are thousands of working professionals who experience daily pain and discomfort, commonly known as WRMSDs (Work Related Musculo-Skeletal Disorders).
WRMSDs approximately account for over 40% of total work-related health concerns in the UK.
Even if you have a dedicated workstation at your home, there is still a great chance your back and posture are incorrect. This is not just because of the orientation of your workspace, but also your bodies aren’t designed for a sedentary lifestyle.
However, you can’t reject the current work conditions completely. Instead, you’ll need to fit in solutions that can prevent postural aches and muscle stiffness caused by long hours of sitting. One such solution is a posture support brace.
Why Are WRMSDs Becoming A Concern?
Prolonged desk work with minimal physical movement throughout the day leads to muscular and skeletal imbalances. Such imbalances in your musculature alter your natural posture, cause physical pain, and increase the chances of getting injured during any physical work (even in simple as walking or jogging).
Sitting for prolonged hours ultimately exerts excessive stress on your body. Some groups of muscles become shortened, and others become stretched beyond normal capability leading to pain, unnatural pressure distribution, repetitive strains and stiffness.
With a back brace, you can significantly reduce the pressure exerted on your spinal structures and reduce strain. Wondering how a back posture brace works? Keep reading!
How Posture Support Can Reduce The Risk Of Postural Pain And Injuries?
Prevents Unnecessary Movements
Due to prolonged sitting, your spinal structure becomes rigid and strained. Sudden impactful movements such as extension, flexion or rotation can lead to injury. A back posture brace partially restricts your movements, prevents unnecessary movements and reduces the chances of injury.
Improves Your Posture
Your spine follows the natural curvature. Your upper back should be in an upright position, shoulders straight, chest up, and your core engaged. Even after knowing the correct positioning, your body is unable to maintain the natural curvature of the spine. You tend to slouch with rounded drooping shoulders or hunched back.
Such stances can lead to back pain.
A back brace pulls back your shoulder blades and activates your core and back muscles for correct spinal alignment.
When you buy a posture brace, ensure it features an ergonomic design that has adjustable straps and elasticated bands for providing adequate support.
Allows Your Muscles To Heal
As discussed previously, a back posture brace reduces unnecessary movements that can further damage your back.
This helps maintain the natural alignment of your spinal structure and strengthen your back muscles. Your back will get adequate time to heal, and your back pain will reduce.
Posture correctors also take support away from the vital structures of your back, such as the spine, back muscles, intervertebral discs, lumbar region and vertebrae. This support minimizes the stress in these areas, resulting in pain reduction.
What Modification Can You Implement To Prevent Work-Related Postural Aches?
While a back posture support brace can be incredibly effective in reducing your postural concerns, you can incorporate other additional measures for even a better outcome.
Getting An Ergonomically Designed Workstation
Ergonomics deals with the science of supporting the natural body stance, curves and spinal structure. An ergonomic workstation should include lumbar support, a foldable laptop stand, a foot stand, etc.
Posture Exercises For Strengthening Your Spine
There are various strengthening exercises that help you improve the strength of your muscles and the agility of your joints. Core muscles are important for maintaining correct posture and uniform pressure distribution throughout your spine.
Some posture correctors online are specifically designed for wearing during physical activities for maximum impact.
Taking Breaks Between Your Work
Sitting for a long time in the same posture exerts excessive pressure on your muscles and other supportive structures, leading to strain and stiffness. Take small breaks, change your posture, walk a few steps between your work hours to prevent tension build-up in your core and back muscles.
Include Activity In your Daily Lifestyle
A sedentary lifestyle doesn’t just cause pain and muscle stiffness. It is a major contributing factor for serious health disorders such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension, heart diseases, etc.
Dedicate some time in your daily routine for physical activity. Brisk walking, low impact exercises, core strengthening activities, cycling, etc., are a few examples of physical activities you can include in your daily lifestyle.
Back posture is an incredible solution for your work-related postural issues. Ensure to buy the correct size and fit for your body type. Without proper fitting, you might not get the desirable results.