A study looking at nearly 600 teachers found that almost 25% of them experience back pain each day. I don't know about you, but on top of all that teachers have to endure, back pain shouldn't be one of them!
The reason: A teacher may find themselves working at their own desk, a student's desk, the whiteboard, or a podium and therein lies the problem, every one of those "workstations" requires their body to work in a different position.
The translation: If I had a desk job, I would work at that same workstation all day long so I would be able to set it up with proper ergonomic design. Ergonomics allows us to minimize the stress and strain our body experiences throughout the work day. Due to teacher's having to many so many workstations, it's very difficult to establish any sort of ergonomic pattern.
Some rules to abide by to minimize pain and discomfort:
-Widening your stance helps to spread the stress and tension from the lower back into the pelvis and hips!
-"Hinging" from the hips and avoiding that slumping, arching posture of the middle spine (thoracic spine) helps to prevent shoulder and mid-back tightness.
-Making sure your shoulders aren't "talking" to your ears as I like to call it. If you feel your shoulders raising up, that'll contribute to neck pain, stiffness and headaches.
If the pain is persistent or you want to learn more about the ways we can help, give the office a call!