5 Ways to Manage a Herniated Disc at Your Desk Job

You recently learned — as many people with persistent spinal pain do — that a herniated disc is the underlying cause of your chronic lower back discomfort, aching neck, or sciatica. To reduce your pain and support healing, Dr. Okezie N. Okezie may prescribe: 

• A period of rest; activity modifications
• OTC anti-inflammatory pain relievers 
• Physical therapy exercises and stretches
• Epidural steroid injections; nerve blocks
• Lifestyle modifications (i.e., weight loss)

To ensure your desk job doesn’t derail your recovery, our team at Interventional Sports and Pain Management Associates may also recommend occupational therapy, or instructions on how to keep your spine properly aligned — and take pressure off your injured disc — as you go about your daily work.  

 Here are five of our top tips for managing herniated disc recovery at the office: 

1. Avoid sitting for long periods

Your core — or the group of muscles and supporting tissues in your midsection that work to stabilize your spine and pelvis — bears the weight of your upper body when you’re seated. The spinal discs in your lower back are an integral part of your core support system. 

 Sitting places greater pressure on the discs in your lower back, and sitting too much is one of the worst things you can do when you’re trying to heal a herniated lumbar disc. In fact, sitting for longer than four hours without taking a break will likely aggravate your pain and worsen the underlying disc herniation.  

If your office job requires long hours at a desk, consider using a sit-stand desk that allows you to alternate between sitting and standing. It can also be helpful to sit on a stability ball instead of a conventional office chair.  

2. When you’re seated, sit properly

Sitting for long periods isn’t just bad for an injured spinal disc, it’s also a leading cause of disc injury — that’s why truck drivers are more likely to wind up with a herniated disc. For a truck driver, these stresses are amplified by the constant vibration of the roadway.    

The increased spinal disc pressure and stress that occurs when you’re sitting at your desk, however, becomes more intense when you slouch. So, anytime you must be seated at your desk, it’s imperative to sit properly. 

Good sitting posture means you’re sitting tall through your spine, and your:

• Shoulders are down and back 
• Chest feels lifted and open
• Chin is slightly tucked in 
• Ears are above your shoulders 
• Thighs are parallel to the floor
• Hips are aligned with your knees

When you have a herniated disc in your lower back, it can also be exceptionally helpful to have additional lumbar support. If your office chair doesn’t provide it, you can use a small pillow or rolled-up towel to help support the gentle curve in your lower back.  

3. Step away from your computer

Whether your herniated disc is still in its initial healing phase, or you’ve reached the stage of recovery where you’re working on preventing injury recurrence, it’s always good practice to step away from your desk and take a break every 30 minutes. 

 Just as taking regular standing breaks is important for easing pressure on an injured lumbar disc, stepping away from your computer screen can be important for reducing the strain on a herniated cervical disc in your neck.

For most people who spend long hours working on a computer, good posture can be increasingly difficult to maintain. Why? Looking at screens for lengthy periods prompts an automatic, unintentional postural change called forward head posture.

This small shift in head position may seem minor, but it can have major negative effects on a herniated disc in your neck. Taking short breaks helps you consciously reset your posture when you get back to work. 

4. Take regular stretching breaks

Take full advantage from your sitting/computer breaks by working in a few gentle and easy stretches. Sitting at a computer for most of the day — even with regular breaks — can leave your body feeling tight and imbalanced. A thoughtful stretching routine offers an easy yet highly effective counterbalance. 

Your posture, spine, and discs can benefit from just two mini stretching sessions a day — five minutes in the morning and another five minutes in the afternoon. While most people can benefit from simple stretches for the neck, shoulders, chest, back, and hips, your physical therapist can also provide a list of safe stretches that support continued healing for your specific disc injury.   

5. Leave the heavy lifting to others

At home, you have someone else carry heavy grocery bags, vacuum the floor, and do the laundry so you won’t strain your injured disc and slow your healing. You may be getting paid to be at the office, but your recovery constraints are the same.  

With that in mind, leave the heavy lifting — no matter how “minimal” it may be — to others. Someone else can carry that case of printer paper to the copy machine.   

Are you coping with herniated disc pain? We can help. Call your nearest Interventional Sports and Pain Management Associates office in Humble or Baytown, Texas, today, or click online to schedule a visit with Dr. Okezie anytime.