Working about 8 hours a day, sometimes longer when work is on peak, Ms. Thuy Linh, an office worker at a company in Lang ward (Hanoi) often has to use a computer. After a long time sitting and working, she developed dry eyes, tired eyes, back pain and stiff neck and shoulder areas.
Although I know I should stand up and exercise lightly after 1-2 hours of work, due to work requirements, I rarely stand up to relax between hours. Usually I will work continuously from morning until noon before resting," Ms. Linh shared.
She had been examined when symptoms appeared and was diagnosed with stiffness and muscle constriction on both shoulders. Early examination helps her proactively treat and care for muscles and joints.
Similarly, Mr. Tran Dang Duc (Lang ward, Hanoi) said that after days of having to sit and work for a long time, he often feels tension in the lower back, sometimes numbness in his legs or a feeling of leg retracting when standing up.
Those symptoms do not last too long or will decrease when I exercise lightly. That makes me feel not too serious, so I almost never go for examination, only during health check-ups organized by the company," Mr. Duc shared.
Talking to Lao Dong, MSc. Dr. Ho Chi Cong, Deputy Head of the Department of Examination and Treatment on Demand, Central Acupuncture Hospital, said that office workers who come for neck and shoulder pain examination account for about 60% of neck and shoulder pain cases at the hospital. Notably, many people do not go for examination immediately when symptoms appear.
Most patients endure mild pain for a long time, until the pain is severe and limited movement, they go for examination. When conducting paraclinical examinations, many cases already have cervical spondylosis," the doctor said.
According to Dr. Cong, this condition is closely related to the nature of work that requires sitting in front of a computer for a long time. When maintaining the same posture for a long time, the muscle groups in the neck and shoulders are easily stiff, while the spine is less active. This is also one of the factors that causes degeneration to tend to appear in younger people.
Doctors recommend that office workers should proactively change their posture instead of waiting for prolonged pain to appear. After about 30-45 minutes of sitting and working, workers should get up, walk, or do light exercises. In addition, maintaining appropriate sports also helps increase exercise and support spinal health.
