Much of our time is spent facing screens, whether they are laptops or smartphones. By sitting for a long period of time in a single posture, we are all at risk of suffering from office syndrome. According to a statistic revealed by Samitivej Hospital here in Thailand, up to 80 percent of the urban population suffers from this syndrome, with those in their late teens or early twenties especially at risk. This is most likely to be influenced by poor working environments, such as the inadequate height of a work table, which leads to unnatural sitting positions, causing constant muscle contractions and pains. The areas at risk include the musculoskeletal system, the digestive system, the cardiovascular system, the hormonal system, and the eyes.
The most common symptom is neck pain, but symptoms vary from person to person and some may suffer from headaches and soreness around the eyes, even dizziness while others have chronic muscle pain, numbness in wrists or feet, backache, or aching and tightness of the shoulders. Office syndrome can also lead to mental health issue such as depression and extreme exhaustion.
To effectively fend off these symptoms, patients must change their behaviour, starting with the posture. A simple solution can be to adjust the height of the work chair so that the patient is comfortably positioned when facing a work screen. Another easy way to keep office syndrome at bay is to simply get up every forty minutes for a good stretch to prevent body stiffness. Importantly, make sure to take some time out of each day to exercise; a combination of yoga, pilates, cardio and some chi gong would be ideal.
If it is too late for prevention, then proper care from medical professionals is required. There are multiple treatments for those suffering from chronic office syndrome but at Absolute Health an advanced medical treatment is available including Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). This is “a noninvasive procedure that uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain. There is also a shockwave therapy that provides effective treatment for painful disorders which is also used in sports medicine. Absolute Health offers integrative medicine, addressing the overall wellbeing of patients beyond addressing the symptom.
Absolute Health
8/1 Nimmanhaemin Soi 7, T. Suthep, Muang Chiang Mai
Open 9am – 6pm
Tel. 053 223 023, 095 626 4522
info@absolute-health.org
Facebook: AbsoluteHealthChiangmai
www.absolute-health.org
