Most individuals don’t associate comfort with productivity. For many, their day starts with a cup of coffee before situating themselves on a desk chair to stare at a computer screen for the next four to six hours before they head off to lunch, only to come right back to that squeaky, uncomfortable chair for another four to six hours.
Some might feel that this aligns with the old saying, “No Pain Equals No Gain”. However, with more and more individuals working from home since COVID-19, the environment and outlook surrounding the workspace have drastically changed.
Many companies have taken on more modern and progressive ideals and have begun to place the comfort of their workers higher on the priority list. Leading to improved productivity and efficiency and a reduction in discomfort and injury.
Here at Ojas Physiotherapy, our values align with this progressive outlook as our goal is to not only provide neck and back pain treatment in Dubai but also prevent these injuries, often obtained from these day-to-day habits, from happening in the first place.
How to Create an Ergonomic Workspace?
Despite Ojas Physiotherapy Clinic Dubai offering and benefiting from extensive physiotherapy and rehab options, the goal at the end of the day is to prevent neck and back injuries that occur from sitting in a chair for long periods of time.
Here are a few simple steps and tips on creating a comfortable ergonomic workspace:
#1. Choosing the Perfect Chair
Standing desks contribute significantly to general wellness, comparable to the benefits of ergonomic chairs. They help burn additional calories and promote an active lifestyle instead of a sedentary one. This modern approach has led some companies to completely eliminate chairs from their offices.
However, for those who still prefer sitting while working, choosing a chair that provides lumbar and cervical support could be the key to making sitting for hours have less of a negative impact on your general wellness and health.
A few things to keep in mind when searching for the perfect chair:
- Does the chair provide lumbar and cervical support?
- Is the chair height adjustable?
- Does the chair recline?
- Are the armrests adjustable?
- Is the chair cushioned for comfort?
- Would you be able to sit in the chair properly based on its size or specifications?
All these questions can help you find a chair that is both supportive and ergonomically comfortable. Not only will this prevent neck pain and back pain treatment in Dubai, but it will also encourage users to sit in a proper posture. With feet sitting flat on the ground, arms resting at a ninety-degree angle, and head sitting upright above your shoulders.
Other injuries that could result from long periods of sitting at a computer desk in a poor posture include shoulder pain, hip pain, and wrist pain. However, if these tips and practices do not assist in preventing such injuries, Ojas Physiotherapy is able and ready to assist with rehab and physiotherapy.
#2. Monitor Placement and Keyboard Positioning
While a comfortable and supportive chair may encourage proper posture positioning, after an extended period of time your spine may begin to fatigue, leading to slouching. Especially if you are looking down at a screen or reaching for your keyboard.
In particular, pay attention to how high and how far away the monitor is from you. Reading from a distance or too closely can put a strain on your eyes, while pinpointing your focus to the middle of the screen rather than the top half can lead to neck pain.
If you are working from home and getting an adjustable computer is too expensive, consider placing your monitor on books to raise the height appropriately so that your eyes are level with the top of the screen.
According to the Mayo Clinic, with the average head weighing twelve pounds, if your neck is bent at a forty-five-degree angle, then that is the equivalent to your neck exerting fifty pounds of force on your neck.
To limit the need for neck pain treatment Dubai, the Mayo Clinic recommends sitting straight up at a ninety-degree angle between your torso and thighs as well as keeping your eyes level with the top half of your screen.
As for distance, try increasing font size rather than bringing the monitor closer for easier readability. To prevent wrist pain, position your keyboard where your hands would rest proportionately to your body. Again, a ninety-degree angle with your elbows resting against your torso.
#3. Ergonomic Comfort
Although musculoskeletal problems are a large focus of an ergonomic workspace, your general wellness also includes reducing eye strain, joint health, and mental well-being.
This could mean including a few accessories at your workspace, ranging from a footrest or wristrest to a monitor stand. Depending on the workspace you are working with or personal physical ailments, you may need a little bit of extra assistance.
Whether you need an extra seat cushion because of a broken tailbone, a blue light filter to prevent eye strain, or a wrist rest to keep your wrist in a neutral position, your comfort is the priority.
One aspect of the workspace that is often overlooked but can have a big impact on your comfort is lighting.
According to Forbes, bad lighting in the workplace can lead to many negative effects, both physically and mentally. Physically, this could cause eye strain, fatigue, stress, anxiety, and headaches. Work-wise, this could decrease productivity.
If you are working from home, choose a space with access to lots of natural light. Forbes emphasizes that thirteen to fifteen minutes of exposure to natural light is all it takes to trigger the release of endorphins and improve one’s mental health.
Ergonomics Workspace and Personalization
One of the reasons an ergonomic workspace has developed and become popular in the last decade is its promotion of individualizing your workspace.
The productivity and efficiency of each worker are greatly affected by their environment. However, everyone’s preferences for their workspace may differ depending on their wants and needs, just as the human body can be compared but not replicated.
This could mean adding personal touches to your workspace, like pictures and décor, to improve your emotional and mental well-being.
For others, it may mean taking breaks to walk around your workspace to prevent stiff muscles and creaky joints.
One of the best physiotherapy companies in Dubai offers stretches and exercises that can be utilized during these brief breaks to improve your general wellness.
Recognizing the Signs of Sciatica: Symptoms
Whether from injury or day-to-day habits, sciatica is a painful and common medical condition where irritation, inflammation, pinching, or compression of the sciatic nerve can cause pain in the lower back and legs.
It is one of the longest and largest nerves in the human body, starting near the base of the lumbar spine and sacral region, passing through your gluteus muscles and extending into your hamstrings and calves.
The sciatic nerve is responsible for motor function in your legs and feet as well as sensory functions in your legs.
Considering sciatica is a prevalent condition, with forty per cent of Americans experiencing sciatica in their lifetime, here are a few symptoms to keep an eye out for:
- Pain – a burning sensation or shooting pain down the legs. Pain is exacerbated by coughing, sneezing, bending or lifting your legs when lying back.
- Paresthesia – a tingling or pin-pricking sensation that is similar to when your legs fall asleep.
- Numbing – loss of sensation or feeling on the skin in the affected areas, such as the back or legs.
- Muscle Weakness – a more serious symptom that occurs when the muscles command signals and have trouble going from your brain to your back and legs.
- Urinary or Faecal Incontinence – a very severe symptom that occurs when the control signals are not reaching your bladder or bowel.
Effective Treatment Options for Sciatica in Dubai
Do not let chronic pain from sciatica slow you down! Ojas Physiotherapy offers efficient treatment alternatives to help you maintain your active lifestyle in Dubai.
Aside from creating an ergonomic workspace at home or in the office, our physiotherapy clinic in Dubai offers treatment plans personalized to your needs. This is not a “one-size-fits-all” situation, we are dedicated to helping you improve your general wellness.
Our sciatica treatment options may include:
- Manual Therapy
- Exercise Therapy
- Modalities
- Posture and Ergonomic Advice
- Education and Self-Management Strategies
- Lifestyle Modifications
Improve your Productivity and Lifestyle
Pain does not always equal gain. An ergonomic workspace encourages not only individualism but also individuals’ general wellness and well-being.
By improving your workspace so that you are more comfortable, not only will your productivity increase, but your quality of work and life will improve.
At Ojas Physiotherapy, we want to assist in making your visits less frequent. Although we love to help you with neck pain and back pain treatment in Dubai, our goal is to make chronic musculoskeletal problems less common.
Whether it is for neck pain treatment Dubai or physiotherapy treatment options for sciatica, you are one appointment away from improved general wellness and a life without constant pain. Contact us today and arrange a visit with just one click!