10 Best Ways to Avoid Joint and Wrist Pain in the Office
Working long hours at your desk, whether you use your computer all day or some other tool to get your job done, can wreak havoc on your wrists, knees, and other joints. Here are ten ways to keep them healthy and reduce the pain and discomfort your daily chores can cause.
10. Stay hydrated
Drinking more water has a ton of benefits , one of which is improving joint health (not to mention overall health). You don’t need to drink the pre-prescribed amount or anything else – just drink when you feel thirsty , or even better. However, keep a large, pretty water bottle near your desk and try to drain it from time to time.
Keeping hydrated will keep your body happy (and seriously, you’ll feel better), but it will also prevent you from hand-to-mouth snacking. Perhaps more importantly from an office perspective, it will force you to get up and move regularly when you go to fill that water bottle, and … well, when you go to the bathroom because you “ I drank so much water. Think of them as small, short breaks when you have the opportunity to get up from the table and move around a little.
9. Take regular breaks to get up and move around.
Talking about using every opportunity to get up and move around is another good way to prevent muscle and joint pain or soreness at work. Whether it’s giving your poor wrists a chance to rest and recover between long typing sessions, or letting your knees rest and relieve the pressure that comes with prolonged sitting (not to mention all other ways of sitting for hours on end is bad for you ) to get up just for warming up, walking around the office and maybe talking to colleagues is a great idea. Ideally, you couldn’t spend more than 90 minutes without taking one .
Of course, when you’re sitting at work and minding your own business, inertia makes it really hard to break that focus and get up to stretch. This is where technology comes in. Apps like the previously mentioned Rest for Mac , Aware for Mac, or Workrave for Windows and Linux can remind you of intermittent breaks. Either way, make it as painless as possible so that you actually do it and your body will thank you. Bonus: More breaks will actually make you more productive as well as healthier.
8. Change the location of the office (if you can)
If you have the opportunity, change your job . If you have a work laptop and office with common areas or conference rooms or even phone rooms that you can escape to, grab one for a few hours at a time. Of course, not everyone has the privilege of having a desk at which they work for several hours, followed by a few comfy sofas or a common area where they can work for the rest of the day (especially if people come to your desk looking for you. . often), but if yes, take it.
Alternatively, consider changing tables from time to time with a colleague, or even visiting the nearest coffee shop or better yet, a library where you can sit, focus, and has Wi-Fi and lots of power. Wherever you wander, here are some tips for staying productive when you’re out of the office.
7. Work remotely when you can
In the same vein as when working at different desks and in different places whenever you can, think about working and from home if you have a place to do it. For many of us, working from the home office is more relaxing, more comfortable and, in most cases, just more space. Of course, as in the previous case, your home office, coffee shop, or library may not provide the best ergonomics, but being able to choose and change the position in which you work can be an advantage in itself.
Even if you choose to work out of bed, you can do it with good posture, which is certainly better than sitting at an uncomfortable table all day. In fact, wherever you go, you probably have some control over ergonomics , so feel free to practice that.
6. Consider setting up a sitting / standing table
If you can’t just work off your desk and have some flexibility in how your desk looks, consider a sitting / standing setup. You don’t have to use a full table while standing ( unless of course you want to !), But a flexible sitting or standing table gives you the best of both worlds. Check out our guide to choosing (or creating) the perfect desktop for inspiration.
However, keep in mind that sometimes you just need to sit down and other times it is better to stand up. The key here is to make sure you move regularly and don’t get stuck in one place all day. If you do use a standing table, check out this standing yoga routine . Either way, there are many other things you can do to stay flexible , even when you are sitting.
5. Don’t neglect your clothes
Regardless of the dress code in your office, make sure you wear comfortable, well-fitting clothing. Even if you have to wear professional clothing every day, the least you can do is make sure that it is not too tight, uncomfortable, or worse, so heavy to move that you cannot stretch or wiggle your arms and legs. with full breasts. range of motion. After all, in these clothes you spend eight hours a day . They need to be comfortable, useful and healthy so that they can work regardless of your job.
I learned long ago that even if your approach to work clothes is to buy them cheap, if they fit remotely, you are doing your looks – and your health – a disservice every time you break circulation in your legs or wear clothes. something too tight around the arms or sleeves, making the wrists feel awful at the end of the day. Then you will inevitably have to replace them. Bottom line: cheap clothes are too expensive . Buy quality instead.
4. If you are chained to your desk, use light movements and stretches.
Maybe you don’t have the kind of job that lets you just get up and walk when you want, or take a break when you feel like exercising. That’s okay – to be honest, few of us really think so. Most people have to sit at their desk to get work done, and if they are not working at their desk, then someone is bored, whether they need to answer calls, write reports, or write code. For these people, anxiety and small movements are where it is.
When I was working in a call center and had to talk on the phone for hours a day, fidgeting and other minimal exercises that I could do while talking on the phone with someone or being within headset’s reach from my desk came as a surprise. Hug them. Sway a little in your chair. Extend your legs where you can, either at the table or under it. Do wrist stretches and small exercises throughout the day. Do your best to keep your joints and muscles active, even if you can’t leave the table. Bonus: It helps you focus too.
3. Reboot the workbench for ergonomics.
Stretching, bending, working from different places and staying hydrated are all good, but there is a certain point when you just need to buckle up and rearrange the table. If your desk is set up to hurt you, well no amount of fidgeting and stretching will help. Take some time to completely reboot your workspace and do it with ergonomics and healthy posture in mind .
Start by cleaning everything up and make a plan for how you would ideally like to work. Then start with a chair, then a keyboard, mouse, and monitor, working with all the items you have and use on your desk, and arrange them so that you are not drawn to use them , bending awkwardly to type or read, and then whatever you need is always at hand. If you need to make some ergonomic improvements to your desk while you’re at it, we have a few suggestions too.
2. Keep fit outside the office
The next important thing you can do to relieve joint and wrist pain while you work is to make sure you stay flexible, flexible, and healthy both outside the office and inside the office. Fortunately, maintaining good joint health and flexibility is not difficult . Simple stretches, foam rolling, and a few simple mobility exercises can do a lot of good both in and out of the office. Foam skating is also beneficial for improving posture and can even aid strength training.
Aside from keeping your joints flexible, don’t neglect the rest of your body. A good bodyweight workout will keep you healthy and you don’t need any special equipment, but if you already go to the gym regularly, be sure to do some strength training. They can benefit those who have joint and muscle pain. Even simple hip flexions and regular stretching at home can offset some of the effects of sitting.
1. Incorporate simple stretching exercises and office yoga into your daily routine.
Finally, no matter where you work or what you’re doing, there is always room for light stretching at the desk , a little office yoga ( at the desk or even in the stairwell), or some posture exercises and wall stretching to help you deal with the consequences. sitting in front of a screen or over a keyboard throughout the day. If you’re short on stretching space, these three exercises will only take four minutes . Shorter in time? Try thirty seconds .
Don’t neglect your posture either . These exercises are perfect for the gym , and these are easy enough while you sit . These stretch marks keep your lower back healthy , and these stretch marks keep your neck from stretching forward. However, they are just the tip of the iceberg. Find some good ones that suit you, your work desk, and the amount of time you have between appointments, calls, or other activities, and you’ll benefit your body.