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Neck Pain--It Might Be Caused by Your Office Chair
Neck pain is the last thing that should ever happen to you. The neck area is a sensitive area of the body. It supports the base of the skull and supplies much needed nutrients to the brain. You would therefore say that it should be one of the most protected parts of the body, but the poor design of conventional office chairs is seriously undermining the protection of this sensitive area. Neck pain in
many people is derived from badly designed chairs.
Movement is essential to spinal health but unfortunately most workers using conventional office chairs and computer furniture often suffer from neck pain and upper
back pain due to a lack of movement and high-compression loadings on their spine. Stiff chairs, that is those without adjustable back and height,
restrict the body as far as movement is concerned which can bring about back pain.
Research in cellular biology has shown that the cartilage cells of our intervetebral discs undergo intense pressure and are therefore unable to receive nourishment from normal blood supply due to immobility. If this much needed movement ceases, the discs will gradually lose and may lead to acute neck pain. In extreme cases, this may be fatal and cause temporary immobility.
Each year, 11 million days of absence from work occur due to neck pain. This situation costs industries $5 billion per year. The enormity of the situation is best judged if you compare with 5 million days off due to
stress. These figures show how much back pain is costing industries across the nation.
There are 800,000 hospital in-patients and 12 million consultations for neck pain every year. In the majority of these cases, the causes are extensive sitting in poorly designed chairs. It is a well known fact that straight back chairs induce great pressure on the back and cause spinal disturbances we
interpret as back pain.
It is thought that the increasingly sedentary lives that we now lead contribute greatly to the neck pain epidemic we are currently experiencing. An office worker spends an average of 40 hours a week in a static position working at a computer.
CONCLUSION
Back pain has serious consequences if not immediately addressed. They can result in permanent spinal injury and cause brain dysfunction. You can
help avoid neck pain and similar problems by going for an ergonomic chair.
Author: Edwardo Trafficante