How to sit in the office? 10 Exercises to do at your desk!
How you should sit on your desk according to Doctors Barcelona and the 10 exercises you can use to alleviate your pain.
We all have had long days at the office, sitting in front of the laptop, looking at the screen for hours. Even typing or scrolling on the internet can become difficult for us. A bad posture while sitting on your desk can cause pain in different parts of the body: legs, neck, back, shoulders, arm, wrists. If while reading this post, you are sitting down in your office, stop working for a few minutes and take the time to read the exercises we prepared for you. Those exercises will help you to reduce the pain while you are at work and you can include them in your daily routine at the office. If your pain doesn’t get better, you should consult one of our professionals specialised in Physiotherapy in Barcelona.
10 Exercises you can do at your desk!
Our doctors specialized in Physiotherapy in Barcelona advise you those 10 simple and easy exercises to help your work routine.
1. Shoulder roll
- Keep your back straight,
- Start to roll your shoulders forward, up, back, and down,
- Repeat it for 10 times and then reverse the roll.
2. Stretch those arms
- While sitting on your chair, with your back straight raise your arms straight overhead like if you would reach the ceiling,
- Move the arms back and forth while the torso remains in the centre,
- Repeat 10 times.
3. Knee press
- Bring your right ankle on your left knee and gently press on your right knee,
- Hold this position a few seconds,
- Switch to the other side.
4. Knee stretching
- Bend your knees,
- Take the right leg with your arms and pull it close to your chest,
- Make sure you feel your leg muscles stretching,
- Hold between 5-10 seconds and then repeat with the left leg.
5. Look around you
- Keep your back straight and move your head to one side,
- Try to look over your shoulder without twisting your body,
- Hold a few seconds and then repeat to the other side.
6. Turn your head
- Put your chin down and roll your head from left to right for several times.
7. Open your chest
- Bring your hands together behind your back,
- Extend your arm and try to stretch them, you will feel your chest opening and your back stretching.
- Hold it a few seconds and repeat it a few times.
8. Shake it out
- With this exercise, your wrists and your hands can stretch after a long day at work,
- Shake your hands for a few seconds,
- Repeat a few times.
9. Wrists flexions/ Wrists extensions
- Close your hand in a fist and bend your wrist up and down, repeat it for 10 times.
- Extend your arms in front of you, pull your fingers towards you using the other hand, hold it for a few seconds and then repeat.
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- Sit on your chair with your back straight,
- Your feet are flat on the floor,
- Twist your upper body and rotate both shoulders to one side,
- Grab the chair to help you stretch.
How to sit properly in the office
To sit every day in the office can cause you pain in different parts of your body. This is why it is really important to keep a good posture while working. Our doctors specialised in Physiotherapy in Barcelona can give you some tips on how to sit at your desk. Remember, it is also important to stand up once in a while and walk even for a few minutes.
- Make sure that your laptop screen has a distance of minimum 40 cm and that your monitor is above the eye level.
- Make sure your desk chair is the right height, this can reduce your back pain.
- Your lower back should be positioned against your chair.
- Your wrists should be straight and your arms should lean on the table.
- Your feet should be able to be flat on the floor.
- Make sure that your knees and hips at a 90-degree angle.
- Do not stay hours upon hours in the same position. Make sure you change your position every 30 minutes.
What are the problems that a bad posture can cause?
Many can be the consequences of a bad posture, on the top of the list problems at your back or your neck. But your way of sitting can also bring other problems, such as:
- Slower digestion: caused by a slower transit in the intestines,
- Incontinence: a bad posture can increase abdominal pressure, which puts pressure on the bladder, and also decreases the ability of the pelvic floor muscles to hold against that pressure.
- Constipation, a bad posture can bring problems when you would go to the toilet.
If with those exercises your pain doesn’t get better, we advise you to consult one of our professionals specialised in Physiotherapy in Barcelona: click here to book an appointment now
While you are traveling or working, Doctor Barcelona is always there to help you.