With recent spikes in back pain across the United States, a universal question arises among those affected: what in God's name is going on?
As with many modern day health problems, back pain stems from far more than one cause. Daily activities and habits such as social media and computer use have become some of the most common contributors. Lucky for us, there are ways to mitigate the harmful effects of back pain, ones that you could begin to implement as early as you please!
Social Media Usage and Back Pain
When came the everyday possession of smartphones, also came the daily many times, hourly use of cellphone applications. Social media applications such as Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter have taken the digital world by storm. They've influenced users to spend vast time on their respective interfaces.
The problem with smartphone usage is that it requires you to look down, irritating muscles in the neck, shoulders and back, eventually engendering various forms and levels of pain.
The Solution:
Delete your social media applications off your phone; limit their use for on the computer only. Not only will this reduce time spent looking down and, therefore, reduce back pain, it will heighten levels of productivity by channeling your attention span to more meaningful tasks.
Computer Usage and Back Pain
Since the introduction of the household computer in 1977, users have navigated their personal systems while sitting down. Although this means of navigation seems practical and convenient at first, its long-term employment has drastic implications such as, you guessed it, chronic back pain.
The problem with sitting down comes not with the act itself, but with how most of us perform the act. Handfuls of individuals find sitting down no problem; they naturally demonstrate terrific posture and poise. For the vast majority, however, sitting down entails slouching, leaning forward, and leveraging the neck downwards. These latter formations bring about varying levels of back pain.
The Solution:
Although work desks may require you to sit down in your office, there are ways to improve your workplace setting. Ergonomic chairs such as the Herman Miller Aeron are designed and engineered to conduce comfort and efficiency while sitting down. Sit-to-stand desks, on the other hand, allow you adjust the height of your desk so you don't have to stay sitting the entire workday. You can find both at Beverly Hills Chairs at discounted prices!
