So you come home almost every night with back pain, neck pain, numbness in your wrist and hands, or a headache. Sound familiar? If so, these might be signs your job could be causing your chronic pain. Unless you are ready to quit your job or retire, let’s recognize the causes, and learn ways to reduce or eliminate that chronic pain.
What Is Chronic Pain?
Pain tells you something is wrong. You can feel pain after a pulled muscle, an injury, or if you cut your finger. Once your injury heals, the pain goes away, whereas chronic pain does not. It continues hurting for months or even years unless it is treated. Chronic pain can be defined as pain that lasts 3 to 6 months or longer.
It can range from mild to severe day after day, or it can come and go.
Anything we do for long periods of time at work like staring at a computer screen, sitting or standing all day, lifting heavy objects, driving a bus for hours can trigger chronic pain. It can affect construction workers as well as those sitting in an office.
Back Pain And Your Job
Sitting at a desk all day working on a computer or laptop is a pain waiting to happen. Unless you take breaks every hour by getting up and walking around, you will take your back pain home with you at night.
Sitting incorrectly with hunched shoulders instead of straight can affect your back. Using a chair that is ergonomically incorrect will cause back pain.
If you must lift heavy objects every day, be sure you are lifting with your legs.
If standing the better part of the day is part of your employment, be sure to wear comfortable and sensible shoes.
Chronic Headaches And Your Job
If you have a stressful job, you can suffer from tension headaches. Migraines and eye strain headaches are common as well.
Chronic Neck Pain And Your Job
Improper equipment at your workstation and poor posture can cause debilitating neck pain. In addition, those with construction jobs, labor intensive jobs, or just stress can settle in your neck causing chronic neck pain.
Ways To Reduce Your Chronic Pain
You have several options to help reduce your chronic pain. Seek pain management options from Madison Medical Associates and ask about the following.
- Steroid injections
- Medications
- Spinal cord stimulation
- Radio frequency ablation
You can also make some changes to your lifestyle to help reduce work related chronic pain like the following:
- Maintain a healthy diet and weight
- Exercise regularly
- Warm up and stretch before activities
- Maintain proper posture
- Choose a medium firm mattress
- Lift heavy objects with your legs and knees
- Stop smoking
- Wear comfortable shoes
You don’t have to quit your job to reduce or eliminate chronic pain.