Sitting on office chairs for extended periods is part and parcel of many jobs these days, but plenty of people continue to do it wrong, according to a leading back pain specialist. Dublin-based physiotherapist Aidan Woods is on a one-man mission to improve Irish people’s posture in the workplace. He says he regularly has people in their 20s and 30s coming into his clinic complaining of back and neck pain that can be traced to their sitting habits. “We certainly have a lot of people in their late 20s and early 30s coming in here with back and neck pain, and a lot of them would be sitting for eight hours plus a day,” says Woods, who practises at Pearse Street Physiotherapy Clinic and was also part of the Irish backroom team at the Rio Olympics. “It’s a combination of multiple factors. If you’re sitting for a long time, what generally tends to happen is you get tired and you tend to slouch. The longer period of time you spend slouching the stiffer you get and the weaker your muscles will get.”

Given the country’s ever-increasing population of office workers Woods sees it as an important cause to champion, and he says even small bouts of exercise interspersed throughout the working day can help to stave off the ill-effects of slouching. “What we encourage our patients to do is to try to keep moving as much as possible, and certainly take regular breaks from the desk for a short walk or stretch, and when they sit back down to try to sit as well as they can and in the best posture that they can. “I would encourage people to stay moving, even if it is very gentle movement or if it’s sitting for a period of time and then moving from standing to sitting. It’s the actual movement as opposed to standing all day or sitting all day so that there’s variety in the workplace,” he says. Woods has done a series of videos for The Irish Times as part of this month’s Healthy Towns project demonstrating a routine of exercises that can be done while sitting at a desk.

The activities are designed to be subtle and can be completed in a short space of time, and Woods believes the evolution of such practices is part of a process whereby companies are becoming ever-more receptive to positive health attitudes in the workplace. “More and more, the employers are encouraging their staff to stay healthy. It’s getting more standard that people would have sit-to-stand desks. “So many of the offices have gyms on site where staff are encouraged to go early in the morning or at lunchtime or evening, if they don’t have gyms they would generally subsidise gym membership. baby bean bag chair fillerWe would have a lot of businesses where we got out to and do pilates classes at lunchtime,” he adds.buy online rocking chair india Encouragement from employers is a positive trend, but Woods also wants to see people taking responsibility for their own working environment.3 in 1 pushchairs

“If you are sitting or standing, have a work setup that’s appropriate to you because every single one of us are different shapes and sizes. If there is the facility at work to get specialist help I would always encourage people to get someone in to talk them through what is the best chair, computer or mouse for them.”By Sally Ann Quirke | Filed under: Posture Support Products Please read the following first to ensure that you don’t end up wasting your money - AND still have back pain!ghost chair china manufacturer Regardless of the type of chair that you have its success all depends on how you sit in it!! chairs for back pain irelandFor example, you can spend all the money in the world on a super ergonomic desk chair - if it’s not right for you it will not work for you! travel high chair jojo

Recently I saw a client who had spent 700 euro on an “Orthopaedic Chair” which had been moulded specifically to the shape of his spine. He had been using this chair for six months and had no relief from his back pain. Simply because the chair which he was using - and had been advised to get - was doing more harm than good for his back pain. The reason for this is that he was suffering with posture-related back pain and his poor posture was being exaggerated by his new sitting device! As always, I suggest that the cause of your back pain needs to be diagnosed and, when possible, removed as quickly as possible. If you are sitting in a poor posture for long periods of time you are likely to develop postural-related back problems. The treatment of choice is to correct your posture and if using a special chair, or seat, helps this then great! However, simply having a chair moulded to your poor posture you really are making no steps towards removing the cause of your back pain.

Removing the cause is always my primary treatment when I am assessing back pain patients in my own clinic. So, let’s say that you have removed the cause of your back pain - and - had you posture assessed by a suitably qualified physical therapist. And, now, you want to support your new improved posture with a suitable back posture support product. Where do you start? What are the important factors you need to consider when choosing a chair to prevent or treat your back pain? In my experience, there are 2 primary considerations: After you have considered these two points - the rest is up to how you use your seat. As I always explain to my clients, Sitting must be active. In summary - once the chair you have chosen is firm, and of the correct height for you, I generally encourage an active sitting posture. If that is not enough (or my patient is not compliant!) - I use a “back friend”. These simple devices are portable and suitable for use in the car, sofa and office.

On some occasions I will use a lumbar roll to encourage and remind you to sit tall. This is a “D-shaped” firm roll of foam you place in the hollow at the base of your spine. It will help to support your spinal posture but it really only works well in conjunction with an active sitting posture. If you have not got access to any of these try rolling up a towel and use it similarly to the lumbar roll - sometimes such homemade devices can be as effective as products costing a lot of money. The key is to understand the causes of your back pain, how to adapt a good sitting posture - and then to get the appropriate level of back support in the right place! The materials contained on this website are provided for general information and educational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice on any particular individual situation. Please see your Chartered Physiotherapist or other medical practitioner for full and individual consultation. Please read the full disclaimer here.