Question:
I have excellent posture at the keyboard, but I still get back pains whenever I work for an unusually long time. I keep a Thigh Master handy at home for whenever the small of my back gets sore from typing (sitting slightly forward on my chair and squeezing the Thigh Master between my knees works wonders).

But the Thigh Master is too conspicuous to use during work hours. Are there any good back and hand exercises that can be done inconspicuously at the keyboard?

Answer:

The quick fix for most back pain is an ice pack, which, with some preparation or assistance, you could probably find a way to strap on inconspicuously during a break for just a few seconds. But you deserve better than a quick fix.

If you "sit for an unusually long time" at work, maybe you should schedule more breaks. Once you can make it to break, you should have a routine for relieving the stress on your back (and hands). For example, one friend of mine always does a full set of Tai Chi, about 15 minutes, at every lunch hour. Not for pain, but for concentration and to maintain a sense of effortlessness in his concentration. I have my own tricks for soothing sore muscles, but depending on the particular problem you have, you might need something different-- especially if you are not even making it to lunch.

Also, try stretching. Touch your toes. Just lean over and hang as far down as you can without hurting yourself for 30 seconds to a minute. Don't worry about keeping your legs straight. Stretching and sit-ups not recommended during work, however. I used to have lower back pain but since adopting an regular excersise routine I have been pretty much pain free.

The important thing for me was that quadricep/hamstring tightess resulted in pulling on my lower back. My excersise routine is -

- laying on the floor and pulling one bent leg up to my chest for a count of 100 - repeat with the other leg. This loosens some back muscles.

- Laying the floor and raising my lower back up in an arch - 20 counts of 5.

- Standing and bending my leg behind grabbing the left foot with the right hand - and vice versa again for a count of 100. (Stretches quadriceps)

- Sitting on the floor and bending one leg - then slowly touching the toes on the extended leg (similar to standing an touching your tows but without the gravity pull on your lower back) 100 counts - do the other side. (I personally find my hamstring getting tight from long periods of sitting and for me this seems to be the real cause of my lower back pain.)

- Finally I do about 200 stomach crunches in the morning to maintain basic trunk strength..

This allows me to sit for many hours without pain that I used to suffer from.

Once back pain arises I don't think there is anything you can in the short term - it's a longer term problem.

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