3 Self-care tips from Sitka Physio & Wellness
Did you know that what you do for most of your waking hours has the biggest impact on how it prefers to move (or not move)? Unfortunately for most people, most of their waking hours are spent at work. And let’s face it, today’s jobs tend to be very repetitive: not enough movement, too much of the same position and when there is movement, it’s too much of the same thing.
At Sitka Physio & Wellness, we like to teach you about your body so you can better manage it at work and in everyday life. So for self-care and in order to prevent injuries like repetitive strain we recommend the following: Avoid Prolonged Positions. Unweight the Head. Square your Hips and Shoulders.
Avoid Prolonged Positions: our body has over 200 bones. We are made to move. Set an alarm on your phone, your watch or your computer to remind you 30-45 minutes (at most 60) have passed, and take a Movement Break (10 seconds is all it takes!)
Unweight your head. The head weighs 10-15 pounds. With the added load of gravity, our spines and associated muscles work extremely hard to keep our eyes seeing forward to function and do our work. A very effective Movement Break is to connect the crown of your head and your two shoulder blades to a wall, door, or even the floor; re the latter lie with your knees bent and feet flat to protect your low back. Whether in a vertical or horizontal plane, having this triangle of connection lessens/eliminates the load of the head into the spine, and reduces rotation in the spine. Layer in palms forward (think Mountain Pose) and a couple of deep breaths and 10 seconds later you’ll feel taller and fresher!
Square your Hips and Shoulders. We recommend adopting 6 points of contact when sitting at your desk. Shoulder blades connect to the chairback, sitbones at the back of the chair in a vertical position, and feet firmly planted. Too often if we reach for our mouse or cross one leg, we create a rotation, side-bend and compression in the spine. Our 6 points of contact enable symmetry of loading of both the upper and lower extremities thus reducing compression and encouraging length.
In this ever-evolving, hybrid work environment, it can be challenging to get your Ergonomics just right. Contact us today to set up an individual in-person or virtual assessment.
