Chiropractor reveals all the common pains and injuries you get from sitting at a desk
Are you suffering from ‘desk neck’? Celebrity chiropractor reveals how to melt away aches and pains caused by sitting in an office all day – and the correct way to sit on your chair
- Chiropractor Dr. Jason Wersland invented the ‘Theragun’ massage tool to heal
- Used as a portable percussive massage therapist, the Theragun helps ease pain
- Dr Wersland revealed some of the most common injuries you get from sitting
- He offered stretches to soothe the problem areas, with and without his device
By Matilda Rudd For Daily Mail Australia
Published: 06:58 EDT, 16 May 2020 | Updated: 12:15 EDT, 16 May 2020
A chiropractor has revealed the most common aches and pains you’ll get from working at a desk all day and the simple stretches – and tools – to melt away the pain from home.
Founder and chief wellness pfficer of Therabody, Dr Jason Wersland, created the celebrity-approved Theragun massage tool after a motorcycle accident in 2007, claiming it can heal muscle-related ailments by stimulating blood flow through percussive therapy.
Percussive therapy uses an intense ‘up-and-down’ motion that has been known to reduce pain almost in seconds by overriding pain signals to the brain and can assist with accelerating the repair and growth of tissues.
And while a device like this works effectively to treat aches and pains caused by too much time at the desk, Dr Wersland has also suggested some easy stretches and prevention methods for different areas of the body.
Founder and Chief Wellness Officer of Therabody, Dr. Jason Wersland (pictured), created the celebrity-approved Theragun massage tool after a motorcycle accident in 2007
Celebrities like the Kardashians, Gal Gadot, Chris Hemsworth and Shanina Shaik (right) have all used the Theragun to ease tension in their bodies
HAMSTRINGS
These muscles at the back of your thigh become ‘short’ and tight when we sit for long periods of time, and so do the hip flexors.
‘They work in tandem. Stand up, take two minutes and Theragun your hamstrings and hip flexors on both sides,’ Dr Wersland told FEMAIL.
‘Then stretch each muscle. Complete a hip flexor stretch (like holding your right foot while your right knee is bent) and hamstring stretch (sit on the floor with your legs straight in front of you and then lean forward).’
How should you sit on your chair at work?
To keep your hips loose, it is best to set a timer and get up from your chair every 30 minutes for two to five minutes.
You can also get a standing desk, which opens up the hips and rids the joints of constricted blood flow.
If you don’t have a standing desk, sit up straight in your chair and keep your back from resting against it. This will make sure you use your core to sit up straight.
Make sure your feet are flat on the floor and your knees are equal to, or slightly lower than your hips and make sure your arm rests are at a height where your shoulders can be relaxed.
Your monitor should be directly in front of you, slightly above eye level.
A great way to help relieve pain and reinvigorate blood flow in the region is to stretch out your hip flexors.
‘They work in tandem. Stand up, take two minutes and Theragun your hamstrings and hip flexors on both sides,’ Dr Wersland told FEMAIL
NECK AND SHOULDERS
Most office workers hunch over their computer screens for extended periods of time so it’s important to open up those muscles to maintain blood flow.
For the neck, an easy and effective stretch is to stand up and tilt your neck slightly back and diagonally over your shoulder. Try this for 20-30 seconds on both sides.
This will help lengthen and open up your sternocleidomastoid muscle, which is in the centre of the collarbone, which is constantly being shortened from hunching.
Sitting in front of a screen means having our arms tucked in tight as we type on a keyboard.
How does the theragun work?
The up-and-down motion that the Theragun makes is called a percussive motion – the frequency and amplitude of Theragun moves on and off the body having a positive effect on the nervous system and body tissue that promotes a more efficient and effective therapy.
Percussive therapy has a variety of benefits including greatly reducing pain by overriding pain signals to the brain, increases mobility and range of motion, increases blood flow to the area reducing soreness, tightness and pain, and can assist with accelerating the repair and growth of tissues.
How is it different to the other cheaper ‘massage guns’ on the market?
It is the only massage gun to have four generations in the span of four years.
It is also the only physician-calibrated percussive therapy device in the market. The company prioritises education, science, and research and promises a ‘natural solution’ to muscle tension.
The new device tracks your behaviours, modalities and preferences to give your body personalised treatments using The Therabody App.
‘The danger of doing this for long periods of time means your pectoral muscles shorten and pull your shoulders forward which can cause you to hunch even further,’ Dr Wersland said.
‘A great way to keep your body from doing that is to stretch your pectoral muscles by standing up, fully extending your arm out pointing your thumbs backward behind you.
‘The further you pull your arm behind your body, the more you’ll feel the stretch.’
If you have a Theragun, you can sweep from your pec muscle out to the front of your shoulder down to the inner elbow. Stretch and open the chest and then repeat on the other side.
WRISTS
Your hands perform a variety of tasks every day, from holding your phone, gripping door handles to typing on a keyboard.
These repetitive motions can create weakness and stiffness in your wrists and fingers, which is why it’s essential to stretch out these muscle groups constantly to avoid injuries like carpal tunnel.
‘I find the best way to effectively stretch the sore muscles in your wrist is to extend your arm with your palm facing up toward the ceiling,’ Dr Wersland said.
‘Use your other hand to push your four fingers down towards the ground. Flip your hand over and do the exact same stretch on the other side of your arm.’
‘I find the best way to effectively stretch the sore muscles in your wrist is to extend your arm with your palm facing up toward the ceiling,’ Dr Wersland said (stock image)
HIPS
Sore hips are often a sign that you’ve been sitting down for too long, the chiropractor said.
A great way to help relieve pain and reinvigorate blood flow in the region is to stretch out your hip flexors.
‘To do that you can lunge forward with one leg, then in that lunge position rotate your hips forward,’ he said.
‘You should feel the stretch start underneath the top of your inner quad running upwards inside your hip bone and deep to your abdomen.’
‘To do that you can lunge forward with one leg, then in that lunge position rotate your hips forward,’ he said (stock image)
It’s very important to keep your hips mobile and loose every day.
The best way to do this is to set a timer and get up from your chair every 30 minutes for two to five minutes.
You can also get a standing desk, which opens up the hips and rids the joints of constricted blood flow.
If you don’t have a standing desk, sitting up straight in your chair and keeping your back from leaning against the chair is the next best thing. This will make you use your core to sit up straight.
If you don’t have a standing desk, sitting up straight in your chair and keeping your back from leaning against the chair is the next best thing
LOWER BACK
The lower back is influenced by many muscles that attach to the pelvis and lower torso. The hamstrings are actually one of those groups of muscles.
A portion of the hamstring muscles originates at the lower pelvis and extends down the back of the leg, to the knee, so when we sit for extended periods of time our hamstrings shorten, which can cause tension and increase back pain.
‘A great way to stretch your hamstrings is to stand up and spread your legs just beyond shoulder-width apart,’ Dr Wersland said.
‘Then with both hands reach down toward one foot, make sure to keep your knees very slightly bent.
‘Hold that stretch for 30 seconds before sweeping your hands across to your other foot and holding there for 30 seconds.’
