(MENAFN - Khaleej Times) Sitting at a desk all day can be hazardous to your health. Back pain, eyestrain and sleep problems can all be results of increasingly sedentary and stressful work environments.
Here are six office-related maladies and how they can be prevented, according to Dr Juned Qadir, Radiologist, Zulekha Hospital, Dubai.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Any motion that is repeated over and over again can cause injury or pain. But carpal tunnel syndrome isn't just pain or soreness from too much typing. It's the tingling, numbness; itching or even sharp pain caused when a nerve that runs through the forearm is compressed by swollen ligaments and bones in the wrist.
Stretching and other exercises may help release tension in the wrist. Wrist pads should be used as a guide for how high your wrists should be.
Lower-back pain: Sitting for hours on end, particularly if you have bad posture, can be devastating to your body over time if you don't get moving on a regular basis. Sitting up straight but curving your back too much can be a cause of lower-back pain as well.
Besides being better aware of your posture as you're sitting at your desk, getting regular exercise including abdominal and back strengthening activities should relieve some of the pressure on your lower back.
Other joint problems: Sitting at a desk especially shortens and tightens the hip flexors and tight hip flexors can actually contribute to back pain as well since tight hips force the pelvis to tilt forward, compressing the back.
Getting up from your desk at regular intervals and walking around a bit will help to prevent these problems.
Eyestrain: Office workers who spend hours a day staring at a computer screen might tell you that after a certain amount of time, their vision gets blurry and their eyes generally become more sensitive.
To prevent eyestrain at your computer, increase your font size so you don't have to squint.
Bacteria
"The desk, in terms of bacteria, is 400 times dirtier than your toilet." People turn their desks into bacteria cafeterias because they eat at them, but they never clean them. The phone is the dirtiest, the desktop is next, and the mouse and the computer follow.
If you frequently eat your lunch at your desk, you may want to make sure you have hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes to wipe down your work surface daily.
Stressful situations
Stress can be a problem at work regardless of how physical your day-to-day activities are. Stress may even lead to physically violent situations.
Smaller stressors can be handled with breathing and relaxation techniques at your desk or a break outside of the office. And believe it or not, video games have been suggested as a method for easing workplace stress.
