BENGALURU: Long working hours, coupled with tedious commute times, are taking a toll on the spines of employees, especially those who have to head to work during peak traffic hours, or have to stay seated at their desks for most of the day. Several doctors say they have observed a spike in the number of cases they examined over the past two years.
With a majority of the city’s employees working in the IT sector, there are many who complain of having to sit in the same position for 8 to 9 hours a day. Added to this is the time spent sitting in traffic, at worst, a few more hours daily, and it is no surprise that Bengalureans have bad posture and spinal cord issues.
The increasing number of vehicles on the road has only added to the woes of employees who say that by the time they get back home, there is no time for rest. “I usually spend three hours travelling to the office and back daily. Added to this is the nine-hour work day and by the end of this time, the very thought of going back outside for leisure gives me nightmares,” said Kaushik Banerjee, who commutes to Electronics City every day from Kengeri.
Doctors say they have seen an increase of around 30 per cent in spine injuries, backache, neck ache and related cases in 2018 compared to the last year. Some doctors CE spoke to said they see about 300 patients in a month. Sitting in itself is a stressful posture as it increases the load on the discs to twice as much while standing.
“I have observed that this issue is more prevalent among people aged between 19 and 55 years. Inter vertical disc prolapse is the most common problem among IT professionals. The complications of severe back pain limit a person’s mobility and damage his/her nerves which can also lead to depression,” explained Dr Sai Krishna B Naidu, consultant- orthopaedics and sports injuries, Columbia Asia Hospital, Sarjapur Road.
Sitting for long hours also causes muscle imbalance known as ‘upper crossed syndrome’, wherein shoulder blade retractors weaken and pectoralis (breast) muscle shortens, he said.The other common issues are spine damage, slip disc and cervical pain. “Also patients come with headaches,” said Dr Chandrashekar, consultant neurosurgeon, Sakra World Hospital.
How to improve your spine
● Physical movement is a must
● Take a break once in two hours to take a walk
● Perform stretching exercises
● Sit on a chair with cushions and avoid stooping
● Avoid jerks while carrying weights
● When working on a computer for long hours, ensure your system is at eye level