Research suggests that a high number of work-related injuries are caused by sitting all day. So, if you are sitting snug in your desk job today thinking you’re safe from injuries – think again. According to reports, the number one cause of work-related disabilities is lower back pain that is caused by sitting for long hours at your workstation.
During the pandemic, where people have been forced to work from home, this trend hasn’t changed. In fact, with fewer distractions at home, as in, not wasting time by the office water cooler, and no lunch breaks, and catching up with colleagues, it means we are spending even more time in the sitting position than ever before.
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Americans sped up billions on medical treatments for back pain each year. That’s hard-earned money that could have been sitting in your savings account had you taken the necessary steps to do something about possible desk job injuries. Using a better-quality chair or a standing desk setup will save you from medical bills.
Back and Neck Pain
By far, one of the most common issues that many people who have desk jobs are faced with is lower back pain and neck pain, and it’s easy to see why. Sitting in a chair for a long stretch puts unnecessary stress on the spine. What’s worse is that many people who have desk jobs usually spend hours sitting in the same position without much movement, except for moving their fingers to type on a computer.
Once the joints and ligaments are locked into an unnatural position, getting up or moving slightly could result in excruciating pain which shoots up from the spine. The decrease in blood flow can also lead to stiff pain in the neck and shoulders as well.
While many people eagerly point out that you should just take short walks after regular intervals, that’s not the only solution. The main culprit here is bad posture. The truth is that most office chairs that are available in the market today have not been designed for prolonged use at all. This is why you need to invest in ergonomically designed office chairs that provide you with the right amount of lumbar and spine support while keeping you relaxed and comfortable for longer periods of time.
Apart from the chair, another tried and tested solution to minimizing the risk of desk job injuries is simply switching to a standing desk. These have been specially crafted desks that allow the user to carry out their office tasks in both the standing and sitting positions. The ability to switch from a standing position to a sitting position and vice versa alone can do wonders for your back and eliminate all other desk job injuries as well.
Wrist Pain
Wrist pain and wrist injuries are other common problems that those with a desk job have got to deal with on a regular basis. What’s worse is once you get a sprained wrist or experience pain in the wrists due to bad posture, it is likely to return again. Keeping that in mind, the best thing that one can do is to try to avoid wrist pain and injuries, and the best way of doing that is by focusing on the right posture while you type.
Contrary to popular belief, good posture doesn’t only mean keeping your back straight while you work. The distance between your chair and the computer also plays a vital role in the level of comfort and support you give to your arms and wrists. As a rule of thumb, it is advised to always keep your hands at an angle while typing, without having to stretch out your arms when writing or typing on a computer.
Having your arms in an outstretched position for long periods of time is enough to lead to wrist pain and discomfort, and can also lead to the pain traveling to your arms and shoulders. To make sure that doesn’t happen, always maintain the right distance between your chair and the computer you’re working on. This can be achieved even while using a standing desk since there are specially designed chairs that can be raised to the perfect height that’s in correspondence with the standing desk.
Also, be sure to keep your wrists in line with the forearms and elbows close to your sides so that your entire arm is able to get the perfect level of support it needs while typing. While we’re at it, don’t forget to take short breaks at regular intervals to stretch your wrists and fingers to preserve the elasticity in the tendons.
Eyestrain
Eyestrain is another serious issue that’s one of the common desk job injuries that people have to deal with. Concentrating on the computer screen for lengthy periods of time can put stress on the eyes. The light that exudes from the bright computer screen and motionless gaze can result in numerous eyesight issues from blurry vision to short-sightedness and headaches.
Gazing at your computer from the wrong angle can also result in eyestrain, which is why it is necessary to make sure that the height of your chair and the work desk are both in proportion. While taking short breaks is a great way to ease the stress in your eye, choosing the right distance between you and the computer screen can also help.
Whether you are in a sitting or a standing position, while working with a computer, it is best to maintain a distance of at least 2.5 feet between you and the computer. Of course, this distance is going to vary depending on the size of the computer screen you are working on. Nowadays, ergonomic chairs and standing desks such as the Kana Bamboo standing desk makes it extremely easy to adjust to the perfect height with a push of a button.
The Kana Bamboo Standing Desk comes with a basic keypad as well as an advanced keypad, allowing you to choose the best option for your needs. With the basic keypad, you get to alter the height of the desk from a sitting to a standing position with a simple tap of the button, while with the advanced keypad you get complete control over the standing desk at your fingertips.
This is great news, especially for those who have been experiencing eyestrain or arm pain in the past. The ability to control the height of the standing desk with the three programmable presets allows you to set the desk to just the right height so that the computer screen is in line with your eyesight. This not only reduces eyestrain but also helps avoid the neck pain or lower back pain since you will not have to slouch or tilt your head.
You also get an energy-efficient LED display that lets you know the exact position you’re using and provides you with activity alerts as well to make sure you keep on switching from the sitting to standing positions, with minimal eyestrain.
It is easy to see why it is the best choice out there when it comes to standing desks for office or home use. Not only do you get a completely ergonomic desk, but you also get to enjoy a chic, modern design that comes complete with memory presets so it remembers its previous position.
In this way, the Kana Bamboo standing desk can help keep you from serious desk job injuries such as tennis elbow, lumbar issues, lower back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and many other issues. What makes a standing desk truly unique is that these are just some of the reasons why a standing desk setup will save you from medical bills.
Ending Note
Lower back pain is not the only concern of those who have a desk job. According to research, a sedentary lifestyle and jobs that require you to sit for hours on end can also lead to obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular problems. There is a good reason why more and more people are starting to invest in ergonomic workplace furniture, starting with a standing desk, such as the Kana Bamboo standing desk.
This ergonomic standing desk has a lot going on for it, besides helping you minimize the chances of those nasty back injuries during work. The best part about using these ergonomic standing desks for work is that they come in multiple design options. For instance, if you’re not as excited about working on the standard rectangular desktop, then there’s also a curved-shaped desktop that’s been mounted securely on sturdy oval-shaped legs, which offers you both style and function.
When it comes to avoiding common desk job injuries, and the pain that comes with it, it’s safe to say that investing in a standing desk setup will save you from medical bills further down the road.
