{"id":10265,"date":"2016-10-12T11:43:01","date_gmt":"2016-10-12T11:43:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ten.co.uk\/?p=10265"},"modified":"2021-08-12T12:07:19","modified_gmt":"2021-08-12T12:07:19","slug":"what-happens-to-your-body-at-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ten.co.uk\/what-happens-to-your-body-at-work","title":{"rendered":"What happens to your body while you\u2019re at work?"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Ten’s Physiotherapy<\/a> Director takes us through the toll of the working day. We hope you’re sitting (un)comfortably.<\/h2>\n

<\/h3>\n

7.30am \u2013\u00a0a good start<\/h3>\n

You\u2019ve had a good night\u2019s sleep, you\u2019re up, showered and shaved (assuming you\u2019re the shaving type), your discs are rehydrated, so you may even be a little bit taller than you were when you went to bed, and your muscles are well rested.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re feeling good \u2013 which is just as well, as this is the best it\u2019s going to get today.<\/p>\n

\n

8.30am \u2013 hello, desk<\/h3>\n
\n

\"work-posture1\"You\u2019ve walked to the tube, and stood up all the way, so well done. Now you\u2019re at work, coffee in hand. And for the next 45 min – 1 hour, no harm is done as your core and para-vertebral muscles are fresh and helping keep you in a good posture.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

9.30am \u2013\u00a0the rot sets in<\/h3>\n
\n

\"work-posture1\"Even with the best intentions, your muscles tire and begin to fail over time, and you\u2019ll gradually begin to slouch. You probably won\u2019t notice for a while as the slump starts from your lower back, so there shouldn’t be any pain in your back, neck and shoulders yet.<\/p>\n

But as your lumbar (lower) spine slouches, your pelvis tilts and all the pressure – along with much of your bodyweight – is moved away from your sit bones towards your hamstring and gluteal muscles. No wonder so many people find themselves with a numb bum around mid-morning.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

11.00am \u2013 coffee time\u00a0\u2013 a brief respite<\/h3>\n

Time to get up and stretch your legs at the very least). Ideally take a toilet break, go out for coffee (caffeine, with a short walk as a bonus).<\/p>\n

\"article-work-coffee\"<\/p>\n

Ten minutes later you\u2019re back at your desk. You\u2019ve given your muscles some respite and they\u2019re are slightly recharged, but they will fatigue faster than they did in the morning and the rounding ‘slouch’ then happens sooner (30 – 60 min in) and deeper, as it now involves the mid and upper spine.<\/p>\n

By the time lunch comes round, you\u2019ve spent a good hour at least in a slouched position, shoulders and upper back rounded, and with your head now several inches forward of its natural balanced position.<\/p>\n

That may not seem important, until we remember that the head weighs around 10 pounds, and for every inch it\u2019s out of alignment, you\u2019re adding an extra 10 pounds of pressure on the supporting structures<\/p>\n

And with the head just 3 inches out (try it \u2013 not much, is it?) that\u2019s about double the weight of a bowling ball pulling on the spine, and the muscles of your neck, shoulders and upper back.<\/p>\n

So don\u2019t be surprised if the dull ache at the base of your neck that you\u2019ve barely noticed has become a burning sensation that\u2019s hard to ignore.<\/p>\n

\n

1pm \u2013\u00a0time for lunch<\/h3>\n

I\u2019m an optimist, so I\u2019m going to assume you\u2019re heading out to get a sandwich, rather than grabbing your packed lunch out of your backpack (or heading off to the restaurant round the corner for a full-on 3-course lunch).<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because a decent walk will help to reset the body’s postural balance, and if this walk is long enough, the movement will help to rehydrate the discs of your back, stretch out your muscles and return some normality to your posture and alignment.<\/p>\n

\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1476293399164{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #dcf2f7 !important;}”]Before you say:<\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t me \u2013 I don\u2019t work these hours, my workstation has been ergonomically set up for me, my posture\u2019s fine, and I don\u2019t get a numb bum, backache or neck pain\u201d<\/h4>\n

let me just point out the following.<\/p>\n

    \n
  • It doesn\u2019t matter, the principles still apply.<\/li>\n
  • An ergonomic workstation will help reduce or delay the symptoms but it won\u2019t solve the problem.<\/li>\n
  • Your posture is not fine, even if you think it is. Sorry.<\/li>\n
  • It may not hurt today but it will. Tomorrow, the day after, soon.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    There are so many people for whom this postural\u00a0timetable\u00a0is a daily occurrence \u2013 even before we add in the effects of poor workstation set up, limited breaks, use of laptop, tablets smartphones etc, along with uncomfortable chairs, hot desking, underlying pains\/problems, poor sleep habits and lack of fitness,\u00a0just to mention a few.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

    2pm \u2013\u00a0the downward slope gets steeper<\/h3>\n
    \n

    \"work-posture1\"Although your muscles have recovered somewhat during your walk, they\u2019ll still be carrying fatigue through from the morning. Any respite you gave yourself won\u2019t last, as the post-lunch food coma strikes, particularly if it\u2019s been a carb-heavy meal. Bloodflow to your muscles and brain reduces as the body focuses its attention on getting your gastrointestinal tract working to process your lunch.<\/p>\n

    Bad news for your concentration, and your posture. You\u2019re mentally sluggish, and with your attention span shortened, and your posture quickly deteriorates, for 2 reasons. First, a short attention span makes it harder to maintain a good seated posture. And second, the reduction in blood to the core muscles means that they fatigue further and faster.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \n

    3.30pm onwards \u2013 hanging in your straps<\/h3>\n
    \n

    \"work-posture1\"Welcome to the position you\u2019re going to be in for the rest of the afternoon\/early evening. Your muscles are no longer doing much to hold you up. Instead you\u2019re being supported by the structures of your spine and your ligaments.<\/p>\n

    However, your spine is designed to support your weight in a S-shaped curve not the C-shape that you\u2019re now in. All that\u2019s stopping your spine rounding even further are your ligaments, and the bone-on-bone contact of the vertebrae, as the discs (the spine\u2019s shock absorbers) are pressed backwards towards the nerves<\/p>\n

    As muscles become over tired, over-stretched and\/or and knotted, and exacerbated by the weight of the head effectively doubling the usual load on the neck and back muscles, this position becomes uncomfortable very quickly. Think muscle pain from the base of the spine all the way up your back, continued burning of the base of your neck and worst case scenario, nerve compression and referred pain into your arms and legs (Sciatica or Brachialgia).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \n

    6.30pm \u2013 homeward bound<\/h3>\n

    I really hope your train home is full. That way at least you\u2019ll have to stand up on the way home before you sit back on your lovely soft, squishy sofa to eat dinner off your lap. Or you head for the gym to finish off a day\u2019s slouching with a full-on HiiT session minus the proper warmup – well, it\u2019s always hard to get away from the office on time, isn\u2019t it? (Two different options, but each differently bad from an \u2018accident waiting to happen\u2019 point of view).<\/p>\n

    \"article-work-sofa\"<\/p>\n

    Have a nice day.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1476293451466{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #e7e2ff !important;}”]<\/p>\n

    The Physiology of slouching<\/h3>\n

    The Head<\/strong>
    \nAs the spine moves from an S-shape to a C-shape the head position changes. No longer centred over the spine, it\u2019s now carried forward of its centre of gravity. For every inch the head moves forward, the weight supported by the muscles of the neck and upper back increases by 10lbs.<\/p>\n

    The Discs<\/strong>
    \nRounding of the spine creates pressure from the front of the disc towards the back (posterior migration), migrating it towards the spinal nerve roots. Over time this weakens the annulus (outside fibres), and increases the predisposition to a disc bulge or prolapse.<\/p>\n

    The Ligaments\u00a0<\/strong>
    \nOnce the muscles can no longer hold you, you\u2019re ‘hanging’ on your ligaments.\u00a0These ligaments are heavily innervated by nerves and will produce pain during this sustained stretch.<\/p>\n

    The muscles of your back<\/strong>
    \nSlouching lengthens the muscles of the back, leaving them in a weakened position, disabling their ability to work efficiently.<\/p>\n

    Muscles of your legs<\/strong>
    \nA sustained sitting posture \u2013 and the resulting disuse of these muscles – causes your hamstrings and hip flexors to become short and tight leading to pain and postural dysfunction.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Ten’s Physio Director writes about the effects of the average deskbound working day (no matter how well set-up your workstation).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":17755,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,114,102],"tags":[65,58],"class_list":["post-10265","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-pain-injury","category-prehab","tag-fitness","tag-injury-prevention"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBad Posture at Work - What happens to your body? - Ten<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Being deskbound can result in bad posture, but what is causing it? 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