Which type of Worker is most likely to Develop Chronic Back Pain from Work?

Which of these two people are most likely to develop chronic back pain later in life?

A. Lumberjack

B. A Secretary in a modern office

The answer, of course, is B.  An office secretary, or business executive, or anyone who spends most of his or her time at work sitting, is far more likely to develop back and neck pain than a physically active worker.

Here are three of the major workplace contributors to back pain:

  • Slouching forward in your chair
  • Holding your telephone between your ear and your shoulder
  • Lack of movement during the work day

So, why are you still just sitting there. Get active now!  Here are some ideas from San Francisco State University’s Dr. Erik Peper

1.)   Support the natural curve of your spine! Office chairs should have lumbar support, a natural forward curve at belly button level. You can also put a pillow or rolled up towel behind your back to achieve this effect.

2.)   Adjust the height of your chair so you can keep your feet flat on the floor and your knees at 90-degree angles. You can also rest your feet on a prop, like a footrest or even a phone book, for extra support. Crossing your legs tightly reduces circulation in your legs and causes varicose veins, which look dark blue on your skin!

3.)   Remove or lower the armrests so your arms are at 90-degree angles. This will encourage you to hold your shoulders low, which your good for your upper back.

4.)   Keep your monitor about an arms length away and at or slightly below eye level. This will encourage you to sit back, instead of lean forward and reduces neck strain.

Stand Up and move around

Sitting (or even standing) in one position for an 8 hour workday can be very hard on your body!

1.)   Take short breaks, once every hour to use the restroom, get a glass of water, walk down the hallway, or just stretch. Sitting for long periods of time will weaken the muscles in your back. Stretching for just 60 seconds will counter the bad effects of long periods of just sitting.

2.)   Research suggests that about half your hours at work should be spent standing up. If you have a sit-stand workstation, alternate between sitting and standing throughout the day.

3.)   Strengthening your core muscles with exercise, such as yoga, pilates or sit-ups works  your stomach as well your back, which naturally improves your posture and reduces pain.

Workspace Solutions in Fort Wayne, IN, has ergonomic chairs, workstations and office desks that can help keep office workers healthy and happy.  Contact us to discuss how we can help your employees avoid the long term health issues that come from sitting all day long at work.

What ideas do you have for keeping active and not just sitting at your desk eight hours every day?

Ideas Flock together with new Flock line from Hon and Workspace Solutions

The current trend in office design encourages people to get up from their desks occasionally, to spend some time together collaborating and creating new concepts.  To make this work w need inviting spaces that welcome employees to work together away from their desks or workstations.  This fall, Hon Office Furniture and Workspace Solutions, your Hon dealer for Fort Wayne, and northern Indiana introduce Flock.  Flock supports collaboration and creates an environment of how people want to work and where they want to work.   Instead of making team members “make do” for group activities, Flock lets you dedicate zones where teamwork comes naturally.  As with all office furniture at Workspace Solutions, Flock from Hon is made for work.  It’s tough, hardworking, yet great loopking office furniture designed to last a long time and get the job done.    Flock by Hon becomes available this fall at Workspace Solutions in Fort Wayne, IN.

National goes Green

It’s not enough today to simply buy office furniture that looks great, works hard, and comes in at a good price point.  Businesses today are also concerned about their carbon footprint, making sure they’re running green facilities as well as purchasing products that are gentle on the environment.

 

Workspace Solutions is proud to work with many suppliers who are leaders in green technology.  Their latest is an Indiana Company, National Office Furniture, a brand unit of Kimball International, Inc.  Their caseboods and tables manufacturing facility in Santa Claus, IN has just been awarded the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver) for Exisiting Buildings by the US Green Building Council (USGBC).  This makes National’s Santa Clause facility the first LEED-certified office furniture manufacturing facility in Inaiana, and only the 11th location in the state to earn a LEED certification in the industrial manufacturing category.  What all this means is that whenever National builds a piece of office furniture here in Indiana, it has used less energy, and recycled more leftover material than it used to before the LEED certification.

For you, it means that when you buy National Office furniture from Workspace Solution,you’ve minimized the environmental impact of that purchase, and that’s good for our planet.

“National Office Furniture has proved their leadership in the manufacturing sector through their LEED Silver certification,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. “By targeting sustainability, National has raised the bar for manufacturing facilities everywhere. We commend them on this great achievement.”

“At National, we are never satisfied when it comes to safety, quality and sustainability. Our Santa Claus facility earned previous sustainable accolades, but we knew we could improve, and we did in achieving LEED Silver. We’re very proud to be a good corporate neighbor and operate a high-caliber, green certified facility in the community,” said Mendy Claridge, Director of Sustainability, LEED AP ID+C, National Office Furniture.

More Affordable Seating from Lesro

Local hospitals have been excited about our new chair line from Lesro. This is a company that specializes in solid wood and metal reception area and conference room furniture. The best part, however, is the affordable price. Any time you can combine high quality with a lower price, you’ve got a winner.
You can learn more about them on their website by clicking here, or visit our showroom.

Win a New Office Chair

Even if you don’t have an ugly chair, you can still win a brand new Office Star 829 Leather Seat Mesh Chair with a retail value of $950! All you have to do is send us a photo of your office chair to contest@workspacesolutons.com, and then, starting August 13, have your friends vote for your chair on our Facebook page. Here’s a hint. You don’t really need an ugly chair, just plenty of friends who will vote for your chair photo.

Check out the 411 on the chair you can win.

Office Star 829 Charcoal Leather Seat Mesh Chair in Black/Gunmetal

The SPACE® seating collection combines contemporary design with ergonomic engineering to enhance the décor and comfort of any office setting. Built to Office Star Products exacting contract furniture standards, this highly innovative, eye-catching collection is backed by Office Star’s industry leading limited lifetime warranty. And within the vast confines of SPACE®, you’ll find more than 100 models to choose from.
Features:

• Charcoal Breathable Mesh Seat and Back with Built-In Lumbar Support
• One Touch Pneumatic Seat Height Adjustment
• Deluxe 2-to-1 Synchro Tilt Control with 3-Position Lock , Anti-Kickback, Seat Slider and Tilt Tension Control
• Cantilever Arms
• Heavy Duty Chrome Base with Oversized Dual Wheel Carpet Casters

Comfortable new meeting room chair from Allsteel

Acuity is a chair that enhances any environment, any body. Designed in collaboration with Bruce Fifield of Milan-based Design Continuum Italia, Acuity is designed with Italian sensibility and Allsteel ingenuity. Its design and ergonomics work seamlessly while the controls are intuitive. Acuity is elegant and pleasing to the eye, as anything inessential has been stripped away, leaving behind only a purity of form. It’s a comfortable meeting room chair for around $300.

Go to the Allsteel site at www.discovernewacuity.com