There are many types of jobs that people do day in and day out. Many have their own unique set of risks for injury and naturally, some jobs are more dangerous than others. Truck loaders, landscapers, construction crew members, and warehouse or assembly line workers are known to have a great deal of spinal problems result in neck and back pain among other complaints. However, there are many other jobs that seem safe in terms of neck and back issues that can still hurt your spine over time. Spinal injuries are the most commonly reported workplace injury and back and neck pain are the number one reason cited for missed work and for loss of time and productivity on the job. Let’s see what some of the assumed safe jobs that hurt your spine as well as what you can do to reduce your risk. Here at Tree of Life, we are committed to helping everyone take care of their spine and enjoy good health; we take very seriously our reputation as the spinal care experts in the area. Read on to learn more:
Sitting For Long Periods of Time
These jobs are usually low impact and often thought of as low risk in terms of overall health, but by their nature, these types of jobs can put a lot of strain on the spine as well as the neck and back vertebrae and muscles. The common jobs that fall into this category include writers, editors, secretaries, receptionists, and other office jobs. These jobs involve sitting for long periods of time, bending over notes and papers, talking on the phone, and a lot of bending and twisting while sitting down- so what can be done to reduce the risk for spinal injuries at one of these safe jobs that hurt your spine?
- Take stretch breaks for your neck: every 10 to 20 minutes look up from your work and find something at least 20 feet away and look at it for 1-2 minutes. This helps stretch out your neck and keeps the spinal column from getting pinched.
- Ergonomic keyboards, chairs, and desks can be helpful for the arms and shoulders as well as the back- these specially designed office pieces help keep everything at the right height and level and alignment so you are not reaching too high or low or too far.
- Be as active as you can, when you can; even standing up and stretching every half hour for a few minutes can have a huge effect on your spinal health and can improve how you feel overall.
- Use lumbar support: when sitting in chairs, keep both feet on the floor- not tucked up under you, and ensure your chair is adjusted to the right height for your desk!
Driving in a Vehicle
There are many jobs that have people driving vehicles for long periods of time day in and day out. Semi-truck drivers, emergency response crews, postal workers, police officers, delivery teams, taxi cab and bus drivers, Uber and Lyft workers, and other similar driving jobs all are at risk for spine-related injury. Vehicle drivers and operators make up a large percentage of the safe jobs that hurt your spine over time. This is due to two main components of the job- sitting long periods of time with little to no room to stretch and increased risk for injury from accidents. If you work in one of these vehicle confined jobs what can you do to protect your spine while on the job?
- Always wear your seat belt anytime you are in the vehicle in order to protect against severe injury if you are ever in an auto accident while on the job- this is also necessary in order to be able to qualify for worker’s compensation for any spinal injury you sustain while on the job.
- Do not talk on the phone while driving; if it is necessary due to your line of work, make sure that you are only using hands-free devices or that your vehicle has hands-free wireless call answering and talking features.
- Adjust the seat and the steering wheel in order to ensure that you are sitting properly, that you are not leaning forward too much, that your arms and shoulders are in a good position, and use lumbar support for your back.
Repetitive Work and On Your Feet Jobs
These are common jobs that require people to perform the same task or movement over and over again all day every day for the most part or have the workers on their feet for most of the day even they are not doing much bending or lifting. Jobs that could fall under this category include cashiers, sales reps, managers, nurses, teachers, warehouse teams, assembly line workers, and retail workers. What do our leading spinal care experts in the area recommend to protect employee’s spines while at work each day?
- Lift properly at the legs if you have to do any lifting throughout the day- remember to never with your back!
- Use a back brace or similar support so your spine is not compressed from the weight of your own body; this is especially important if you are standing in one place for long periods of time without moving around much.
- Ask for a special cushion or mat to stand on if you are in one place for long periods of time as this can help reduce the pressure on your feet and legs and thus helps keep the spine in proper alignment.
If you have back and neck pain resulting from workplace injury, talk to your employer and see what can be done to take care of your immediate needs and how similar problems can be avoided in the future. Then contact our team of spine experts here at Tree of Life so we can help. There are many safe jobs that hurt your spine and when you need the spinal care experts in the area to help you recover and get back on your feet, then we invite you to give us a call today!