Work-associated health issues – advice to take home

1. Take frequent standing/walking breaks or change your position. It’s recommended to stretch out and take a short walk around the office or outside when possible. This promotes blood circulation and overall decreases muscle tension from building up. If work tends to take too much of your time, find a table tall enough (elbow height) to work on and allow you to stand for a longer period of time.
2. Correct your posture. We all know that when at work it can be very difficult to pay attention at all times to our posture however, because we have to sustain these positions for a long time, almost half our day, we must try to remember keeping an upright correct posture. It may mean that you will need to change and adjust the positions of your computer screen, mouse, keyboard, desk height, chair position and so on but its necessary for the back to be straight, sit on your sitting bone, have the shoulders relaxed and arms laid on the desk and the top of your screen at your eye level.
3. Stretch. Every now and then, especially when working at a desk, our muscles around the neck and upper back may tighten up, not only from the constant position we hold ourselves in, but also from stress. Our neck muscles are our first responders to emotional stress, so dont be alarmed when you feel neck tensions and pain when having a tough week at work. Stretching out the neck muscles every hour is recommended. You may do it in sitting or standing, and it is important to do your stretches to all directions and rotate the head left to right, up and down, several times as well. Read our article, available only in Czech here, on some stretches and exercises for your neck and shoulders.  
4. Involve your self in some physical activity or exercise. Regular exercise is a way to ensure you give your body a chance during the day to move in a different way, helps the body re-energize and regenerate and also engages your mind in something else other than work. Its advised to contact or visit a physiotherapist beforehand in order to get the correct advice on how to exercise properly and safely in order not to aggravate your symptoms or make your condition worse.