What is Office Syndrome and How is it Treated?

You may have heard the term ‘office syndrome’ and wondered what it means. If you work in an office, you should know about this condition, as you may well suffer from office syndrome at one point in the future. It would be incorrect to call ‘office syndrome’ a disease, rather it is the collected symptoms of stress in the neck, shoulders and back.

What is Office Syndrome and How is it Treated?
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Sitting in front of a digital screen day in, day out can really impact the human body; when seated, for example, there is a lot of additional pressure on the lower back and neck.

What are the symptoms of office syndrome?

The main symptoms include the following:

• Pain in neck and lower back (dull ache)

• Painful joints in the fingers and hands

• Frequent headaches

• Numbness in the arms/fingers/legs

• Drye eyes

• Sleeping issues

• Hip joint pain

If you think you are suffering from office syndrome, physical therapy is the best treatment; a physio understands how office work can impact the body and can show you a set of exercises that will alleviate the issues.

Ongoing issues

Of course, you can’t stop work and if that means sitting in your office chair for more hours than you’d like on a daily basis, that isn’t going to bode well for the pain. Like most physical conditions, office syndrome will become more painful as time passes; a few sessions with a qualified physio is the best possible treatment, which actually educates you on how best to reduce the stress that working in an office environment can cause. The condition will become more serious if nothing is done and eventually you will have to seek assistance from a physio.

Proactive measures

There are a few things that you can do to relieve this condition:

• Ask for an ergonomic chair

• Change your seating position often

• Stand up, stretch and take a short walk every 30 minutes

• Look away from the screen every 10-15 minutes

• Be mindful of your seating posture at all times

Those who are a little overweight are more likely to suffer from office syndrome, as the additional weight puts pressure on the skeleton. Here are a few tips when choosing an office chair.

If you are suffering any of the above symptoms, it could be due to office syndrome and we recommend making an appointment with your local physio to learn more about the condition and treating it. A physio does a lot more than treat people with skeletal and muscular issues; he or she educates the patient about their body and this new knowledge helps the patient throughout their life.

Employers are aware that office syndrome is a real issue and they do what they can to help their employees; most invest in ergonomic chairs, which really does help. Some go further and arrange for a physio to visit the office and show the staff ways to combat office syndrome. 

Providing you have a good understanding of the stresses that come with working in an office, you can take proactive steps to reduce the negative effects of sitting for long periods.