Whether it’s due to holiday stress, working overtime to pay for holiday getaways, or those long trips to visit family over the holidays, our Arizona pain specialists tend to see an increase in lower back pain during the Fall. Are you one of the millions who suffer from lower back pain? Sometimes, working those long hours to get your kids the perfect Christmas present can be more of a pain than a gift.

Getting Through a Long Work Week

With the economy in the situation that it’s in, most of us are just happy to be working, even if it means working more hours for less money. The problem for many adults is that increased hours and decrease pay usually means increased stress and lower back pain. And yet, we work through the pain every single day. With lower back pain one of the most common reasons why patients visit their pain specialists, we thought we’d provide you with a quick list of tips for working through the pain.

1. Good Posture can make a work of difference for lower back pain. As we sit at our desks, we tend to get lazy, slouch over the computer or lean back too far, destabilizing that natural curve in our spine. The greatest tip that we can give you as pain specialists is to maintain good posture during all hours of work. I know it can be incredibly difficult, especially around that 3pm hump, but it will save you pain and allow you to work those longer hours.
2. An Ergonomic Work Area can also be of great benefit as you work through lower back pain. You need to make sure you have a supportive chair, your feet are well supported as well, and your hands and wrists are supported as you type on the computer all day long. Your desk height as well as chair height can also help to decrease or increase chronic lower back pain.
3. Stretch and Get Moving as often as you can. Consider setting a timer or scheduling walks and stretching time into your work day. This will not only ease your mind by giving you some space from the stress of working 8 to 10 hour days, it will break up your day and allow your spine to move. Consider hand delivering messages instead of using the in-office IM system.
4. Avoid Heels and uncomfortable shoes that might place an unnecessary amount of pressure on your lower back. It really is amazing how important shoes are to our spine health.
5. Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle outside of the office. Exercising and eating right will not only improve your health on the weekends and after work, it will help to decrease lower back pain while at work as well.

According to EveryDayHealth.com, nearly 90% of employees with chronic pain would rather go to work than call in sick, even though nearly half say pain affects their ability to do their job. Don’t let lower back pain be the reason you worry about job security, especially in this economy. If you’re dealing with lower back pain on a chronic basis, talk to a pain specialist about your options.

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