Back Attack

"My back is killin' me. But this cup of coffee is awesome."

We may be right after all. Work is killing us. At least it’s kidney-punching the heck out of us. Sitting down all day in front of a computer (which is what we’re doing as we’re writing this story) is muy bad-o.

“The longer you have a back problem, the more damage it will create, the more it will resist getting better, and the more time it will take to heal,” said chiropractor Bradford Butler, author of the book The Blueprint for Back Pain Relief: The Essential Guide to Nonsurgical Solutions.

The best solution: stop back pain in its tracks.

“Prevention is mindset. You probably already do it in other areas of your life. When I comes to your back, you just need some new thinking and new habits.”
And those are…

Watch how you sit: Sit with your body no more than an arm’s length from the computer and mouse. Don’t lean your head and neck forward. You should be able to rest your hand comfortably on the mouse with the elbow at the same height as the mouse pad. The monitor should be two or three inches above eye level.

Choose the right chair: Ideally, you want a chair with lumbar support. If you don’t have one, place a pillow behind your lower spine. Chairs that can tilt back also take pressure off the base of the spine and help prevent back pain.
Don’t cradle your phone: Don’t pin the phone between your shoulder and ear so you can type while you talk. It’s really, really bad for you.

Take a break: For about five minutes every hour, get up and move around. Take a walk, stretch, or do anything that takes you away from your computer and lets your body escape all the sitting and staring.

Unload some baggage: If your work bag or briefcase weighs more than 10 percent of your body weight, ditch it. Lighten the load or get a different bag, preferably one with a long strap so it can be carried across your chest like a messenger bag. 

Or follow this advice:
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Now what do we do about pain-in-the-ass issues? And we don’t mean the literal kind…
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