Top Problems Office Workers Face

When it comes to workplace environments, nothing quite beats working at an office. After all, offices are comfortable, with climate-controlled conditions and fewer health and safety hazards overall. Moreover, most modern offices are designed in a way that promotes better concentration and productivity.

As a result, you can easily focus on your work without worrying about distractions. However, like with any location, there are downsides to working at an office as well. This is especially true when it comes to ergonomics.

Office workers tend to remain seated for hours while they concentrate on their tasks, which can pose problems for their physical health. So, in order to prevent suffering from those problems, let’s have a look at the top problems office workers face and their respective solutions.

Common Problems Office Workers Face Due to Poor Ergonomics

1. Back Pain

When it comes to the top ergonomic problems office workers face, back pain is often found at the top of the list. After all, office workers tend to remain seated for hours on end, and most of them usually don’t have a suitable office chair to provide the proper support they need.

Moreover, sitting for long periods can also affect your spine’s alignment, which is crucial for maintaining proper posture. After all, when you’re seated, your body weight isn’t as evenly distributed, unlike when you’re standing up.

Because of this, it puts too much pressure on your back muscles and spine, which results in that back pain, especially in your lower back. This can be even worse if you tend to slouch, as all that weight from your upper back falls onto your lower back.

As a result, your vertebral discs are overloaded to accommodate the excess weight. This can also strain the muscles and alter your spine’s curve.

2. Ergonomic Injuries

Aside from back pain, another typical problem office workers face is suffering from ergonomic-related injuries, especially around the shoulders, neck, and even your arms and legs.

These injuries are often caused by poor ergonomics while working, engaging in too repetitive movements, and being inactive for prolonged periods.

Some of the most common ergonomic injuries include:

• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• “Tennis Elbow” or Epicondylitis
• Tendinitis

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome occurs when there’s too much pressure on the wrist’s median nerve, which frequently happens during repetitive tasks like typing and writing.

Similarly, Epicondylitis or “tennis elbow” happens when you overuse your forearms, especially during tasks that require you to bend your elbow repeatedly. Meanwhile, tendinitis occurs when there’s too much stress on the body’s tendons which often happens with repetitive tasks.

3. Chronic Health Issues

Another problem many office workers face due to poor ergonomics is the possibility of developing chronic health issues. This is because a lack of ergonomic office equipment often leads to slouching and poor posture.

This is notable because your posture significantly affects your spine’s overall health, which can affect many of your body’s essential functions. In fact, poor posture has been known to cause several health issues, such as reduced respiratory function, digestive problems, poor circulation, and even fatigue.

For example, slouching can limit just how much air you breathe in, preventing your diaphragm from working correctly.

This can reduce your total lung capacity by up to 30%, which is unfortunate because getting enough oxygen into our system allows us to remain physically and mentally healthy.

How to Prevent These Problems

Now that you know the common problems office workers face with poor ergonomics, what can you do to prevent these from happening?

• Take frequent stretch breaks.

One of the leading causes for these issues is staying in a single position for extended periods. So, to prevent you or your colleagues from suffering from ergonomic-related injuries or chronic health conditions, it’s a good idea to take breaks every hour just to stretch out your muscles.

Not only will this allow you to change your position, but stretching can also reduce the strain and stress placed on your muscles and nerves while working at an office.

Stretching can also help improve your circulation, relieve muscle soreness, enhance your range of motion, and improve your breathing.

If you want to stretch in place, then you can take advantage of Ergomeister’s tilt recline feature. It allows you to recline the seat up to 135 degrees so you can stretch however you want. It also comes with dynamic tilt resistance so you can move frequently while seated, preventing your body from getting stiff.

• Maintain a proper posture.

Staying seated for long periods can lead to poor posture and slouching, especially as you try to find a more comfortable position. However, as you know, this can lead to long-term adverse effects on your health.

Therefore, to avoid these, you need to maintain a proper posture every time, especially when working at a desk. You need to position your body naturally to ensure that you’re not only comfortable but also correctly seated at the same time.

To maintain a proper posture, your arms and wrists need to be straight and positioned parallel to the floor. At the same time, your shoulders are relaxed, and your elbows are bent at a 90 to 120-degree angle. Moreover, your head needs to be level with your torso while your feet are firmly on the ground.

• Invest in ergonomic equipment like ergonomic office chairs.

Since you can’t avoid remaining seated for long periods, it’s best if you invested in more ergonomic equipment, such as ergonomic office chairs. With an ergonomic office chair, you can maintain proper posture while remaining comfortable the entire time.

Moreover, this type of office chair is often adjustable, so you can adjust its height, seat depth, and arm and headrest and ensure that your body receives the support it needs while you work.

However, it can be tough to find a high-quality ergonomic chair that won’t wear down over time. Fortunately, our team at Ergomeister has two types of office chairs that can provide your body the support it needs while you work.

Our Ergomeister FAEZ8ERG and FAEZ5ERG office chairs offer excellent features to help prevent these common work-related health problems. Some of these features include adjustable lumbar support, headrest, and armrests that can help you stay comfortable while providing the support you need.

Moreover, both chairs are made from high-quality materials, such as German-engineered Air-Scape mesh for better breathability and lightweight yet sturdy aircraft-grade aluminium for enhanced durability.

Final Thoughts

Overall, offices are often considered excellent places to work as they offer employees unparalleled comfort and safety. However, this unique work environment also entails some risks, especially when you don’t have proper ergonomics at your workstation.

Fortunately, you can easily prevent these problems by taking frequent stretch breaks, maintaining a proper posture, and investing in ergonomic work equipment like office chairs.

With that said, if you’re looking for high-quality and ergonomic office chairs, consider checking out our chairs at Ergomeister. You can even come down to our showroom and check out our chairs in person.

If not, you can always order them online and enjoy our 60-day risk-free trial. With this, you can enjoy what our chairs have to offer without worrying about losing out.

So, what are you waiting for? Avail one of our chairs today and enjoy a more comfortable and healthier time while you work.