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Ergonomics and Your Aching Back
By Amy Pedersen

After I graduated from college, and while working to put my husband through school, I took a job at a law office as a file clerk. Because of limited space and the nature of my job, I didn't get a typical office set up. My "desk" was comprised of an old, leather executive chair that had been sitting in storage waiting to be thrown away. This chair was crammed in between two of the three rows of filing cabinets, and I cradled my laptop on my lap while balancing stacks of paper around me on the floor.

Although the nature of the job isn't physically demanding, the environment left me physically tired at the end of each day. My back hurt from poor support and being hunched over. My hands and wrists hurt from using the keyboard on my computer improperly. I could even feel the strain in my neck and my feet.

Thankfully, I've since moved out of that make-shift desk into an office that is now ergonomically friendly and my back thanks me everyday. The human spine is comprised of vertebrae like a stack of bones, with the bones in the lower back curve in. In between these vertebrae is a separate disk, and like an ice pack, it's strong exterior protects a gel like substance inside.

In the normal position, the space between the vertebrae and the disks are evenly filled with this "gel". When leaning forward, like I was having to be all hunched over a computer, the vertebrae pushes all the gel to the rear of the back. This compresses the nerves that exit the central nervous system. In response, the nerves tighten up in your back muscles, because they think they are supposed to contract the lower muscles in the back. Eventually, the muscles slowly pull the vertebrae further out of line while pushing the gel further back against the nerves.

If the body is continually subjected to this position, it can cause severe, if not permanent pain. The same nerve that is cause pain in your back also runs down the leg to the feet and toes. In a worst case scenario the "ice pack gel" can completely rupture and you can be in for a long recovery.

The good news is that ergonomics can prevent this pain. Proper lumbar support is essential for prevention of muscle and nervous system issues when seated at your office or workstation. Without this support serious injuries can occur and impede workplace production. Proper lumbar support can be found in most good office chairs that are labeled "Ergonomic". Make sure when shopping for you chair that it has the back support you need to make it through the work day.

© 2007 Sit On This Ergonomics, LLC.

Amy Pedersen has worked in the Ergonomics and Office Furniture industry for over 10 years and is owner of Sit On This Ergonomics, operating a number of ergonomic websites dedicated to Office Chairs and the practice of good Workplace Ergonomics.

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