One simple exercise for office workers to do at work to avoid chronic back pain

If you spend most of your workday sitting in front of the computer, the chances are your back is in a perpetually hunched position (in what we call a “C curve”), with the neck pulled back and possibly strained eyes. When people spend too much time in one position (like a hunch for example), it is not easy for them to simply come out of it and “straighten out”. One effective approach to this problem is to actually go deeper into the habitual position, and then the body finds it easier to come out of it (this technique is used by some physiotherapists to treat torticollis). We will use this approach in this exercise:

Sit in a chair in whatever you feel to be a neutral position (i.e. on top of your sitting bones, back naturally lengthening, neck free, head effortlessly balancing on top of your neck). Make sure you sit towards the front of the chair instead of leaning and resting on the back of the chair, feet flat on the floor, the angle between your thighs and lower legs ideally close to 90 degrees, hands resting on your thighs palms up, elbows to the side with a very gentle pull from the wrists to the elbows. Begin by dropping your gaze toward your chest, allowing the head to follow as you begin to bow forward. At the same time, roll gently back on your sitting bones, allowing the pelvis to roll back, feeling the hollowness of the lower back filling up. Continue to roll down, allowing the back to go into full C curve as your head travels down towards your knees. If your flexibility permits, you may end up with your head between your knees, chest resting on the palms of your hands.

Now, very slowly start to look up, straightening the spine from a full C curve towards the flat back. Keep the thought of the gentle pull from the wrists to the elbows. Once the neck is in its neutral position (in line with the rest of the spine), continue to come up to sitting, maintaining the length of your back, and using your hips as a hinge.

This exercise (done slowly and mindfully) helps in finding the correct amount of postural tone in the back, thus giving you the awareness of length and width, and in turn saving your back from habitual holding and possible long term imbalances. Repeat this exercise throughout the day and make your back happy!