Upper Back Pain in the Office
Luke Curtis, C.P.E. September 4, 2019
As a practicing ergonomist, one of the most common issues I encounter is people experiencing upper back pain. While there can be multiple underlying causes for any type of back pain, often the cause is poor posture. Poor posture, especially when held for a prolonged time (such as sitting at a desk all day), can lead to muscle de-conditioning and other spinal problems. An easy way to visualize this is to imagine someone slouching over a desk or chair. This puts unnatural force and stress on the soft tissues as well as the vertebrae in your spine.
Now let’s focus on upper back pain and the position of the head. In the correct working posture, whether sitting, standing, or moving about, the head should be balanced over the shoulders to minimize the engagement of our muscles leading down the neck and into the upper back. Our heads are heavy! A common analogy amongst ergo people is to imagine a bowling ball atop a yardstick. Keeping the ball centered and balanced is crucial to the outcome of the yardstick, just as keeping our heads balanced and centered is crucial to a healthy spine.
So what are some common factors that encourage this type of poor posture? In office settings, having computer screens too far away or too low may encourage you to lean forward or flex your neck down. By doing so, you engage your muscles and spine in a poor static posture. The longer you hold that position, the greater the impact it will have.
I see this very often among people who primarily work on laptops. It is impossible to achieve a proper full-body “ergonomic setup” working with only a laptop. The good news is that this is an easy and relatively inexpensive DIY fix: a wireless keyboard and mouse, plus a box to raise the laptop screen to eye level is about the cheapest way to allow for neutral and healthier postures while working. I would also recommend purchasing a docking station that connects to an external monitor (or monitors) held by adjustable monitor arms.
Finally, having some form of ergonomic assessment and training is critical and will help ensure your ergonomic investments give you the greatest return.
Until next time, keep your head up, people!