A wide range of people across the world experience back pain at work. And those who remain physically active all the time also get injuries. For example, if you are working in a manufacturing unit or a construction firm, you are vulnerable to workplace injuries. Similarly, if you have a sitting job, it increases the risk of problems like back and neck pain.

If you talk specifically about getting injured at work, it not only reduces your productivity but also leads to mental distress. It means, if your recovery demands a lot of time, it can also lead to problems such as stress, anxiety, and depression.

According to OSR Physical Therapy in Scottsdale, AZ, “Being injured at work can cause a significant amount of pain, stress, and aggravation affecting your ability to work and earn sufficient money to meet your needs.”

And if you fail to relieve the pain (that occur due to injuries) and restore your range of motion quickly, it starts deteriorating your quality of life.

So, whether you are someone who frequently experiences back pain or injuries at work, here is how you can avoid them.

Maintain a Healthy Weight

Having a healthy weight is the key to enjoying a pain-free life. When you fail to maintain an ideal weight, it reduces the ability of your body to carry out physical activities easily which eventually leads to injuries.

Apart from that, overweight also puts stress on your spine which makes you vulnerable to back pain. So, whether you want to prevent injuries or back pain, it’s necessary for you to lose some weight in the first place.

Overweight also increases the risk of a variety of cancers apart from conditions like diabetes, stroke, heart disease. Besides, it also increases the risk of conditions like stress and depression in some people because they feel that they do not look good.

Strengthen Your Muscle & Bone Health

Having strong muscles reduces the risk of both workplace injuries and back pain.

For avoiding back pain, you have to focus on improving your core muscles such as pelvic floor muscles, internal abdominal obliques, external abdominal obliques, scapular muscles, and glutes, etc.Weak core muscles fail to support the spine in maintaining its natural curve, which leads to pain and discomfort.

You can perform exercises such as seated knee tuck, flutter kicks, plank, side plank, bridge, bicycle crunch, reverse crunch, Russian twist, and push-ups, etc., to improve your core muscles.

Apart from that, you should also work your back muscles because weak muscles on your back increase the risk of sprains and strains. Besides, strengthening your bone health is equally vital to prevent pain and injuries.

Increase Your Flexibility

People with good flexibility face lesser risk of muscle, ligament, tendon, and joint injuries than those with reduced flexibility. One of the best ways to increase your flexibility is to perform regular exercise.

You can incorporate stretches such as calf stretch,single-arm triceps stretch, shoulder rolls, single hamstring stretch, chest mobilizer, quadriceps stretch, pigeon stretch, neck-and-shoulder release, and twisting glute stretch, etc., in your workout routine to strengthen your flexibility.

Correct Your Posture

Having a good posture is also essential for staying away from pain and injuries. If you think that it’s only crucial for maintaining a charming personality, then you need to change your opinion because the fact remains that it affects your health.

Therefore, if you slouch while walking and sitting, then make sure you work towards changing that habit, otherwise, you will end up inviting health issues such as back pain, neck pain, and shoulder pain, etc.

Avoid Prolonged Sitting

One of the best ways to prevent back pain at work is to avoid sitting in one place for more than an hour. If your job involves working on a computer, make sure that you take tea and water breaks frequently.

You should stretch your body during the break to keep it active.

Sit in Upright Position

If you have the habit of tilting your head forward while working on your computer, then you need to change this habit as well. For avoiding problems like back pain and neck pain, it’s essential for you to sit in an upright position. Keep your back straight and feet flat on the floor while sitting on your office chair. Apart from that, you should also focus on bending your knees at a 90-degree angle.

Use a Comfortable Chair

Back pain at the workplace can also result from the use of an uncomfortable chair that puts stress on the spine. So, if you think that your chair is not that comfortable, make sure that you discuss this issue with concerned authorities, and ask them to replace it with a new one.

However, even after taking the above precautions, if you still get back pain or injure yourself at work, then don’t forget to consult a physical therapist quickly. Physical therapy is one of the best ways to address injuries and conditions like back, neck, shoulder, and knee pain.

When you see a physical therapist for relieving your pain and healing your injury, they keep on monitoring your recovery process until you get back to your activities. In case of injuries, they focus on identifying the exact structure that’s damaged. Similarly, when it comes to relieving pain, they discover its root cause in the first place so that they can design a unique care plan to address it. For example, if poor posture is the primary cause of your back pain, your therapist will include posture correction exercises to improve it.

However, if the pain in your back is due to an underlying illness, then your therapist might use techniques like fire cupping and dry needling to relieve it.