Chiropractic, The Computer and You

Over the past 29 years of practicing chiropractic, I’ve seen the number of patients complaining of neck, upper back and mid back pain and stiffness and headaches skyrocket. As a chiropractor, I’m certain it’s due to new trends in our workplace culture. People spend anywhere from 3-10 hours a day sitting in front of the computer. They also probably spend at least several hours a day at home on a desktop, laptop or tablet. We sit for far too long and with poor posture. We hunch our backs, our shoulders rise and roll in and our head carriage leans forward.

The fact is, we were not meant to sit for so long in essentially the same position. We evolved to move; hence the reason we have so many joints in our body. Unfortunately, we’ve created a 21st century sedentary world that has the potential to leave us all looking look like Jabba the Hut in the future.

From a chiropractic standpoint, anytime you create a lack of motion in an area of your body you will create discomfort; do it repetitively over months and years and you’re guaranteed to have pain, stiffness, spinal degeneration and a real lack of joint movement. So, what can you do besides quitting your job and disconnecting from social media and technology?

You’ve probably tried adjusting the ergonomics of the computer station, getting up more frequently, and sitting up straight. There are some great videos out there to help you stretch (like this). While stretching may help a bit, it’s not the answer. A standing desk would be more helpful because at least you’re changing your posture. Anything that changes your posture more frequently will be most helpful. In fact, even poor postures that change frequently are better than staying in one posture for hours.

As a chiropractor, I know that chiropractic manipulative treatment and soft tissue treatment can be very helpful in in treating the symptoms of computer sitting by decreasing pain and stiffness, positively affecting body mechanics and restoring proper motion, posture and alignment. Once the acute problem is resolved through a stretching and strengthening program from the base of the skull to the mid back, you then have the best chance of successfully managing your life with the computer.     

Dr. Barry Silverman is a chiropractic doctor with nearly 30 years of experience. His practice is varied and includes acute and chronic care, personal injury, workers compensation, children and the elderly. To learn more click here. 

The views and nutritional/herbal advice expressed by Dr. Barry Silverman is not intended to be a substitute for conventional medical service.   If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, promptly contact your health care provider. No information offered here should be interpreted as a diagnosis of any disease, nor an attempt to treat or prevent or cure any disease or condition. Information and statements regarding products and/or services made available by Dr. Barry Silverman and the Healing Arts Center have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.