Postural problems
Many of us start our day with a car or train journey. The national average for a commute to work is one hour. In this time we endure standing on platforms carrying heavy bags, sat cramped into a train or sat in traffic in the comfort of a car.

We then spend hours seated at a desk working on the computer and using the telephone.

How we walk, sit and the manner in which we hold ourselves determines a lot of the incidences of back pain. Continuous poor posture weakens our core muscles making the back more susceptible to injury lengthens recovery times.

Also developing children who are susceptible to external pressures like a heavy school bag on one shoulder may suffer from postural problems and thus problems later in life.

Advice on ergonomics in the workplace is at the core of the osteopath’s understanding of human mechanics. Whilst in an ideal world no one would sit for long periods of time, it is a fact of life that many people do just that as part of their daily work. How one orientates themselves to a computer, desk or in a chair can make the difference between a painful and a pain-free day in the office. Differences in lifting, driving, bending and sleeping can change the degree to which one suffers pain at work, often with very little treatment necessary.