<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><root available-locales="en_US," default-locale="en_US"><static-content language-id="en_US"><![CDATA[<p>Rahul Malhotra, a 34-year-old accounts whiz, delivers his punch line with a perfectly straight face: "My job is turning out to be a major pain in the neck. And sometimes a pain in the back as well." For a guy who is passionate about his job, that is a strange statement — until he adds: "literally."<br><br>Malhotra explains that his doctor has pinned his recurring neck pain and lower back ache to the long hours he spends sitting hunched in his chair in office, pecking away at his laptop. He routinely spends 10 hours or more in office, glued to his chair for the most part. When he finally calls it a day, he feels stiff around his collar, gets a nagging lower back pain. Usually, even after a good night's sleep, he feels the twinges in the morning. And by evening, the intensity of pain increases. It is a cycle he has been trying to break without success.<br><br>It is a common enough problem, say all the general physicians and orthopaedic doctors Businessworld spoke to. The combination of long hours at sedentary jobs, bad eating habits, improper posture, and general lack of exercise and fitness has made sure that an increasing number of executives are suffering from either neck pain, lower back pain or both. The doctors say there are plenty of ways to reduce or even banish this pain without popping painkillers, provided you take some fairly straightforward precautions. Here are eight steps that they recommend.<br><br></p>
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<li><strong>Invest in a proper mattress and pillow:</strong> Many people sleep on extra-soft mattresses and badly made pillows, which aggravate the problem. Investing in an orthopaedic mattress that gives adequate support to your back while you sleep can help a lot. And most reputed mattress makers offer orthopaedic ones now.</li>
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<p>Getting the right pillow is a bit more difficult. There is a staggering range of pillows in the market, and you will probably need to experiment a bit before you get the right one, which doesn't leave you with a stiff neck.</p>
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<li><strong>Lose weight: </strong>Excess weight, especially if it is deposited around the waist, adds to the pressure on your back. Lose weight and your spine will feel grateful — and signal it as well.</li>
<li><strong>Strengthen your back — and your abdominals:</strong> A fair amount of people first go for physiotherapy to fix their back muscles. But that alone will not help, say most orthopaedic doctors. The abdominal muscles play an equally important role in stabilising your lower back, given that they lie opposite to your back. Regular crunches and oblique bends can help give you a better core strength, and lessen the pain in your lower back.<strong><br></strong></li>
<li><strong>Do your Bhujanga asana and your hyperextension religiously:</strong> In yoga, pilates and weight training, there are plenty of postures and stretches that target the back muscles very specifically. Getting a proper instructor and following these exercises will do wonders for your back pain. Similarly, there are specific neck exercises — both dynamic movements as well as static isometric poses — that can help de-stress and fix your neck pain.<br><br><br><strong><img src="/businessworld/system/files/back_in_action_600x300_0.jpg" style="vertical-align: middle;" width="600" height="300"><br><br></strong></li>
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<li><strong>Posture, posture, posture:</strong> This is immensely important, stress all doctors. Lowering your weight and strengthening your core muscles will be of no use if you continue to slump in your chair for most of the day. Your spine is s-shaped and you need to sit in the correct manner to make sure you are not putting extra pressure on the wrong points. Doctors say it is worth going to a physiotherapist to train on the right posture.</li>
<li><strong>Getting the right chair — and other office equipment:</strong> Even good posture practice will not help if you are sitting in a badly designed chair. Or working on a laptop without a proper laptop stand. Most people make the mistake of placing the laptop on a low table. Hunching over it is the prime cause of work-related neck pain. Get a good laptop stand that puts the computer at the right height and you will soon feel the difference in your neck muscles. Also, getting the right ergonomic chair is imperative.</li>
<li><strong>Take frequent breaks:</strong> Most people don't get up often, says one general physician. The rule of thumb is to get up and stretch and walk around a bit every 15 minutes or so. If 15 minutes is too short a time span, try to do it every 30 minutes.</li>
<li><strong>Eat right: </strong>A high-protein diet which increases your uric acid levels, or a junk food diet also aggravates back pain. Following a balanced food plan, and eating at the right time will go a long way in alleviating your pain.</li>
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<p><br><em>This article is not a substitute for your physician's advice</em><br><br>(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 22-08-2011)</p>