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Journalism of Courage
A 32-year-old IT professional woke up one day, feeling spinny and grabbed the corner of her bed to balance herself. Then a tingling pain began to shoot down her legs, making it difficult for her to do even simple activities like sitting down or going upstairs. Constantly tied to her laptop, her bad posture from using it had taken a toll on her back and shoulders. The poor alignment of the head and neck had confused the balance signals to her brain.
She neglected it for months, thinking it to be stress or fatigue. But her condition was a typical result of prolonged sitting, bad posture and inadequate spinal support. What she had was cervicogenic or spine vertigo. It is often triggered by sudden neck movements, like turning your head or sitting up in bed. In today’s world, most office employees start and finish their day in front of their computer. They spend hours looking at monitors, continuously tapping on the keyboard, and occasionally getting up to grab a coffee. At first, it may just be a dull ache in the lower back or stiffness in the neck, easy to ignore. But over time, that mild discomfort turns into constant pain, affecting mood, focus, and even sleep.
To put it simply, ergonomics is the art of making your workplace more comfortable and less straining for your body. Just by doing little things, you can eliminate muscle and spine-related problems.
· Chair and Desk Setup: Use an adjustable chair that supports the natural “S” curve of your spine. The chair should have a good lumbar support and your table should be the same height as your elbows when you are sitting upright. The display unit should be placed in the direction of your sight and at the same height as your eyes, thus preventing strain on your neck.
· Posture Awareness: A straight back, relaxed shoulders and a slightly tucked chin should support the correct sitting posture. Do not come too close to the screen or sit with your legs crossed for long hours.
· Take Breaks and Move: The spine is a dynamic structure and needs to move to stay healthy. Stretch, stand, or take a brief walk every 45–60 minutes as a timer for picking up the break. Even a little walk of two minutes around your workstation will help avoid stiffness and will aid in the circulation of blood.
Targeted exercises can fortify the muscles supporting the spine, enhancing stability and flexibility. Our patient did the following:
Core Activation: Basic movements like pelvic tilts, planks and bridges reinforce the muscles of the abdomen and back.
Stretching and Flexibility Training: Tight muscles often pull the spine out of alignment. Regular stretching of hamstrings, hip flexors, and shoulders not only increased the woman’s flexibility but also lessened the pressure on her lumbar region.
Posture and Gait Re-education: Stand with your back, hips and head against a wall, arms bent at 90 degrees with elbows and wrists touching the wall. Then you slowly slide your arms up and down. Cat-camel stretches and scapular retraction drills, which involve squeezing your shoulder blades together as if to hold something between them, then relaxing and repeating, are recommended.
In a few weeks, the woman’s pain lessened and her posture was corrected. With the passage of time, her energy levels, concentration and sleep quality also increased.
Physios mostly talk about the “20-8-2 rule” which involves a quick routine: After sitting for 20 minutes, one must stand for eight and move for two. Apart from that, practising deep breathing, yoga-like stretches or taking mindfulness breaks can relax your muscles.
(Dr Jitha Joseph is Head, Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Fortis Hospital, Bengaluru)
