Dealing with back pain? Here's how you can fix it

It a known fact that sitting for too long while commuting or at workplace causes back pain and even damages spine.

Until four months ago, Delhi-based Ishita Goel, an engineer working at a startup in Noida, used to work for 11 hours in a day and flew at least seven times each month. Those long sittings in the office, inside the train, and the plane took a toll on her back and led to cervical spondylosis.

Medical experts are of the opining sitting for long hours is messing up with the spinal health of people, especially young office goers falling in the age group between 25 years and 40 years.

"Sitting for long hours can not only land us with sore limbs and bestow us with a fatter middle, but it can also mess up our bone and lead to serious muscle health downgrade. The cases of back pain have increased tremendously," says Dr Sumedh of Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.

"Nearly 80 per cent of the people who come to me with this problem are in the age group of 25 to 40. The main cause of back pain is the people's bad lifestyle, increase in body weight, sitting long hours at work during which there is less blood circulation and body parts become stiff which causes pain," adds Dr Sumedh.

Speaking to ANI, Dr H S Chhabra, Medical Director and Chief of Spine Service at Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, said: "Staying in a sedentary position for long hours can expose your body to a series of debilitating problems including pains, spinal disorders, and repetitive stress injuries of the muscle and tissues."

Dr Ajay Wadhwa, an Orthopaedic surgeon based in Noida, said: "Sitting in one position for long puts a lot of excessive pressure on the joints and muscles. These days youngsters below the age of 30 years fall prey to slip discs. Not only that, they also suffer from constant headaches."

However, there are certain steps to combat sitting disease and protect the spine.

- Do your work standing at a high counter or a table.

- Rather than having a meeting in a conference room, invite your co-workers to walk laps during a discussion.

- Set a timer on your computer for a stand-and-stretch break after every 30 minutes.

- Visit a co-worker in person instead of e-mailing them.

- Park your car a bit further from your office to sneak in some extra steps.

- Take a short walk after having lunch.