This article is one of a series covering back pain — causes, symptoms, and the treatments we use at Back and Body Medical in Midtown Manhattan. For the complete overview, see the full guide:
One of the biggest complaints regarding low back pain comes from office workers. Typically, this demographic spends many hours of the day sitting down and the pressures exerted on the lower back manifest in many ways. At Back and Body NY we always suggest taking frequent breaks or stretching or going for short walks every couple of hours. Even better, we suggest changing desks to standing desks and we have seen back pain suffering numbers decline in this area.
However, standing desks alone pose their own set of problems. Standing in the same position for many hours can also put a strain on the body.
But there is a simple solution to this, and that’s a footrest. But how and why?
Consider the old days at bars and taverns. Typically there were no stools at the bar, and so drinkers would stand there and drink. Naturally, this would cause discomfort and back problems as well until they installed a bar that was attached a few inches above the ground at the base of the drinking bar and ran its entire length.
Once these were installed, drinkers now had something they could put their feet up (one at a time of course) and frequently adjust their standing position. This would take a lot of stress off the body and improve the comfort of the drinker.
The same can be applied on these standing desks. Studies have shown a simple footrest which stands some 10% of the person’s height tall can really make a significant difference to the posture. It can reduce back pain even more and allows the body to be able to stand at different standpoints which help increase comfort.
If you work at a standing desk, try it. You don’t need anything elaborate, footrests are available on online stores for not a lot of money and it could save you more expense in getting back pain fixed!
If you have any questions on our treatment options in New York, please contact us, we would be happy to help you and see what we can do for you.
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Dr Shan Sivendra MD is the founder and medical director of Back and Body Medical in Midtown Manhattan. A board-certified medical doctor, certified acupuncturist, and Director of House Physicians at St. Barnabas Medical Center, Dr Sivendra has been practicing in New York since 1995.
He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Saint Barnabas Medical Center (affiliated with Mount Sinai School of Medicine) and received the Resident Research Award for three consecutive years.
Dr Sivendra has a background spanning internal medicine, pain management, and conservative spine rehabilitation, and was licensed in both the US and the UK.
At Back and Body Medical, he leads a multidisciplinary team of chiropractors, physical therapists, and acupuncturists dedicated to helping patients recover from pain without surgery or unnecessary medication.
Further Reading: Back Pain