Sore back? Here’s how to fix that.

If you’re anything like me, you probably find yourself plonked in front of a desk, staring at a screen for far too many hours every day.

Unfortunately, office life isn’t about to change any time soon, so most of us want to know the healthiest way to sit at a desk and not ruin your body (or is that just me)?

My biggest concern is my upper body – my back, my neck, my shoulders and my posture. I don’t want to end up looking like the lost twin of the hunchback of Notre Dame.

I’ve found that these are the best ways to support your back (even if you’re not at a desk job) and thought it only fair to share my findings with you…

1. Check up on old injuries and keep your body active.

If you have an old injury and haven’t done enough exercise between when you injured yourself and now, then you’ve only been relying on a certain set of muscles. This can result in some of your muscles shutting down, which in turn can put pressure on your spine.

Ultimately it’s all about being active and healthy. Try and use all of your muscle groups – it’s especially important to keep your core muscles working. Your back will thank you.

“This can result in some of your muscles shutting down, which in turn can put pressure on your spine.”

2. Don’t lift anything too heavy or over reach.

It’s simple, don’t carry anything too heavy, and if you have to, make sure you know the right way to lift (from the knees, not the back). If you overreach – especially quickly – twist or stretch too far you can cause pain in your back.

If you do accidentally get a little excited reaching for the last square of chocolate and feel a pang, make sure you get ice or a heat pack on the painful spot as soon as possible.

3. Focus on your posture.

It’s so important, and we’re all getting so lazy with it. Hunched over our desks all day, our shoulders slowly move toward our ears and we begin to take the shape of a ball. Make sure you’re aware of your posture. All the time. Keep your shoulder blades together, your butt at the back of your chair and get up and walk around whenever possible. Don’t hunch.

This kind of posture isn’t going to cut it.

4. Try and mix up your movements.

There are problems for people who don’t sit at desks too: Repetitive movements. Try to mix up your movements if you’re moving all day. If you do the same up, down, round and round movement every single day, your back is going to burn – it wants variety in life, too. Mix it up, do it differently and when you feel a muscle being overused, stretch it out.

5. Wear the right bra.

Your boobs need it, your shoulders need it and your back needs it. The right bra will fully support the bust, meaning it doesn’t cause extra strain on the shoulders and neck which can lead to back pain. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you don’t need a professional fitting – it’s very easy to get the size wrong, so always go to the experts.

Even if the bra you are wearing is only slightly wrong for your shape and size, by making a few little adjustments you will feel WAY more supported and comfortable. So get fitted.

6. Get on top of your period pain.

It’s that time of the month and your back hates it as much as your uterus does. Getting your period is never the best time in your monthly cycle, but if you get bad period pain it can cause pain in your back, too. Learn your period pain signs early and take medication if needed.

It’s that time of the month – and your back hates it as much as your uterus does.

Look – we are all tied to our screens, our chairs and our desks, we like to lift heavy things, play lots of sports and basically never stop doing – so we need to know how to look after our bodies.

How do you manage back pain? Here are some behind-the-scenes shots of the Mamamia office finding ‘The One’…

'Finding the One'

Finding the One.

Finding the One.

Finding the One.

Finding the One.

Finding the One.

Finding the One.

Finding the One.

Finding the One.

Want more? How about: