Friday, February 10, 2017

Top tips to stop your desk job from playing havoc on your muscles and joints!



The Newsy Neighbour Magazine
February Issue 112
Article Provided By: Samuel Down of The Bank Athletic Club 




·         Get up at least once an hour to move and stretch (set an alarm!).
·         Movements to do every hour:
o   Hip hinge
o   Full squats
o   Lunges
·         Stretches to do every hour:
o   Quads
o   Hamstrings
o   Hip flexors
o   Pecs
o   Forearms
o   Thoracic Rotation
·         Ensure your desk is set up correctly for you.
o   Seat set so that hips and knees are at 90 degrees with feet flat on the floor.
o   Arm rests at the level of the elbow when shoulders are relaxed.
o   Keyboard flat and close to you so you are not having to protract your shoulders forward to type. Same applies for the mouse.
o   Monitor height set so that the top third of the monitor is in line with your eyes. 
o   Monitor should be directly in front of you, not to one side.
·         Keep your butt all the way into the back of the chair, shoulders relaxed with elbows on the arms rests, sitting up tall with a slight tuck to the chin.
·         Pull chair close to the desk.
·         Desk height should be roughly the same as the arm rests.
·         Don’t eat lunch at your desk! Get up and walk somewhere!
·         If you start to notice pain while working at your desk – take it as a cue to stop, stretch and move! Something in your setup may also need changing or you may need more specific exercises for your area of pain/condition (a physiotherapist can help you with both of these).
·         Ideally – it would be great if we could all have a hybrid sit/stand desk setup to get us on our feet and out of our chairs more!
·         If you are stuck behind a desk all day at work, ensure you are staying as active as possible outside of work. Go to the gym, walk the dog, take up a hobby that gets you moving!


Written by:
Samuel Down
Physiotherapist and owner at Functional Strength & Mobility Physiotherapy (located inside of The Bank Athletic Club).
www.fsmphysio.ca

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