Anyone who works a lot on a computer at work and therefore sits at a desk for a long time often has to deal with back pain. The problem is that there are many different causes. Nevertheless, you can not only counteract the unpleasant pain preventively, but you can also reduce it if you take a few tips to heart:

Why does back pain occur in the office in the first place?

In order to be able to avoid back pain in the long term, you first have to know how it occurs in the first place. The reason is quite simple: Most of the time, insufficient movement in everyday life is responsible for the pain. Other factors also play a role. For example, people who remain in a certain position for too long (even if this is basically easy on the back) often suffer from back pain. Office furniture that cannot be ergonomically adjusted is also a particularly frequent cause of severe pain. Psychological factors such as stress can also have an effect on complaints.

Particularly important: dynamic sitting

If you suffer from back pain especially when working in a seated position, you should make sure to change your sitting position at regular intervals. This is especially difficult when you are working in a concentrated position and simply forget to do so. A good guideline is to change your posture after every 15 minutes. In the best case, you can set a timer for this.

Suitable office furniture

Office furniture should definitely be adaptable so that it meets your own physical requirements. This includes, for example, an office chair that is height-adjustable and adapts to the natural movements of the body. The desk itself should also be adjustable. A standing desk is particularly recommended. At such a desk, you can work not only while sitting, but also while standing. This variety is particularly healthy, which allows you to specifically avoid back pain. In addition, these desks are suitable for people of different sizes, which is also an advantage.

Regular movement during work

Regular exercise is quite important when it comes to counteracting pain in the back. In addition, exercise is known to have many other benefits: you are much more focused, you strengthen your cardiovascular system and you don't get stressed as quickly. It's not that hard to get exercise into your workday: even a short walk can help clear your head and loosen up tense muscles at the same time.

Leisure activities

People who also engage in regular sporting activities in their free time have a particularly low risk of back pain. This does not necessarily have to involve sports that are particularly strenuous. If you want to at least maintain your own health, you should walk at least 7,000 steps a day. Even better are 10,000 steps, as this can also improve physical performance.

Eliminate stress factors as best as possible

Of course, stress cannot be avoided 100 percent, especially in everyday working life. For this reason, it is all the more important to eliminate "unnecessary" stress factors as best as possible. If you are not only mentally but also physically tense, the probability of suffering from back pain sooner or later increases enormously. In addition, in such a state the body releases stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, which reduce the perception of pain. As a result, one often no longer perceives important alarm signals.

In most cases, therefore, the discomfort is not felt until after work, when one slowly relaxes again. In this respect, it makes perfect sense to include short active relaxation breaks or breathing exercises at work.