6 Best Back Exercises for Office Workers

There we sit 8 hours a day in our office cubicle in our swivel chair. But hey, it’s only 40 hours a week, what harm can it do?

Believe us; you don’t want to let back pain creep into your daily life. Back pain is the pits. It saps your will to live, let alone work. Work-related back injuries make sitting laborious, standing excruciating and sleeping impossible. It takes over and doesn’t let go until it is fixed.

Injury at work

According to Safe Work Australia, work-related musculoskeletal problems led to 90% of serious claims in 2014-15, with the most common muscle/tendon injuries and traumatic joint/ligament.

If you already suffer from back pain, don’t delay; get help soon as you can. The flexibility exercises below are designed specifically for office workouts.

6 best back exercises

One: Get up and go for a walk

The first walk might be to your boss’s office to ask for a proper ergonomic chair. From there, make sure you get up every 30 minutes or so and stretch out as you take your stroll.

To be honest, just getting up and walking around isn’t just good for your back. It can break the mental funk you were in trying to find the right sentence, the right budget or the right balance on a spreadsheet.

Two: Get up and sit down

Yep, that’s right, do nothing more than stand up straight and sit straight down again without using your hands. If it feels stupid, tell those around you exactly why you’re doing it and invite them to join in. If nothing else, co-workers popping up momentarily over cubicle walls on a regular basis will become a source of light comic relief throughout your day.

Three: Sit on an exercise ball

That’s right; ditch your office chair momentarily, be it economic, ergonomic or plain old plastic. Sitting on a gym exercise ball will feel odd to start, but you’ll be working all your core muscles just to stay balanced. Chances are your back will also be straighter than it would be in a plain old chair with all its slouch-friendly options.

Four: Do some basic stretches

Look above your head. Do this while sitting up in your chair (or standing) and stretching your arms high overhead. Interlock your fingers and turn your palms to the ceiling as you tilt your head back and breathe deeply in and out.

Did you know about the benefits of static and dynamic stretching? Find out in our insightful blog post!

Five: Say it, don’t send it

Think about it: digital technology has made us feel totally fine sending someone we can actually see, an email. Well, forget that email, get up and walk over there like it used to be back in the 1980s.

Six: Twist, but don’t shout

Twist to the right grabbing the back of your chair with your right hand and the arm of your chair with your left as you do so. Try to use this grasp to twist your body as far around as possible. Repeat in the other direction.

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