Essential Guide to Staying Fit While You Sit

South Orange Chiropractic has created this Essential Guide to Staying Fit While You Sit to find information about preventing and recovering from neck, back and shoulder pain caused by sitting while working.

Many times, the exact cause of back, neck or shoulder pain is not known. But if you’re spending a lot of time sitting while working, your pain can be traced to a specific cause, such as not having an ergonomic workstation, not sitting properly in your chair, working in various positions from the couch or bed, or looking down too often at a laptop or device using a forward head posture. Pain that comes on suddenly is called acute pain, and it is often the result of a sprain, strain or tear in the muscles and ligaments. Pain that lasts longer than three months, and its root cause is much more challenging to identify, though there are some likely culprits.

• Sitting and Your Health: Webinar Replay
• Do You Have “Tech Neck”?
• Neck Pain and Working at A Computer/Desk
• Poor Posture Affects More Than Your Appearance

Back, neck or shoulder pain caused by sitting while working can be dull and achy or sharp and shooting, and everything in between. The nature of your pain, however, can tell us a lot about the likely culprit. When diagnosing pain, we also take into account how long you have been experiencing pain and what activities bring it on. For example, does your pain come on when you’re sitting in a certain spot (such as the couch, your bed, or the dining room table), or sitting at a certain angle (leaning forward in your chair or angling your head down).

• Sitting and Your Health: Webinar Replay
• Is Your Job a Pain in the Neck?
• Sitting Too Much? What Your Back Might Be Telling You

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Identifying the root cause of pain and coming in for regular adjustments and strength building are only parts of the journey to successful management of pain caused by sitting while working. Having an ergonomic workstation, making sure your laptop is kept at the proper level, using good posture while sitting, and implementing proper lower back support are some of the first at-home steps you can take to prevent back, neck and shoulder pain. Other lifestyle changes, such as getting up and walking around at regular intervals, drinking plenty of water, stretching and exercising at home are important parts of the puzzle too. Reinforcing the good work that happens at South Orange Chiropractic Center with equally good work between visits will accelerate healing and lead to faster and more complete pain relief. Check out our resources below to find the best strategies for managing your back, neck and shoulder health from the comfort of home.

• Sitting and Your Health: Webinar Replay
• The Ideal Sitting Posture
• Exercises for Back Pain Relief
• At-home exercises to prevent “tech neck” (coming soon)

Once the root cause of your back, neck or shoulder pain has been identified, you then treat your pain by improving alignment, flexibility and strength. You have several choices when it comes to managing your pain, from invasive surgery (which may not even solve the issue) to manual or instrument-assisted chiropractic adjustments, massage, physical therapy and acupuncture. For pain that is potentially caused by sitting while working, one of the first things we recommend is a nerve scan, which can help identify mild, moderate or severe irritation. Your chiropractor at South Orange Chiropractic Center will take your unique circumstances into account when they develop your personalized care plan.

• Sitting and Your Health: Webinar Replay
• How to Treat Pain Caused by Sitting While Working (coming soon)
• Working remotely and experiencing pain? A Nerve Scan Might Be Your Best First Treatment Option (coming soon)
• Treatment options for “tech neck” (coming soon)