Are you reading this line while feeling a pain creeping in your back? You might have heard that spending 8+ hours a day sitting on your desk in a workweek can be bad for your health. But how bad can it be? Let’s start with some survey findings that send shivers down your spine:

• Back pain is one of the most common medical conditions, experts estimate 80% of the population will experience a back problem at some time in their lives.
• Back pain is the number one cause of disability worldwide, with women reported suffering from back pain more than men.
• Americans spend at least $50 billion annually on treating back pain. Apparently, lower back pain becomes more common as you get older. However, stress can also become the cause of back pain.
• Low back pain is the leading cause of activity limitation and work absence throughout much of the world. In the US, 3 million years of productive life is lost every year due to this health issue.

Now that workers worldwide are encouraged to stay at home and work remotely, there have been increasing cases of WFH injuries. While working from home, back and neck pain becomes more prevalent among workers. Working longer hours as the boundary of work and life blurs, not having a supportive working chair and poor posture can all lead to back pain. 

Report shows that the majority of people (approximately 95%) with low back pain will recover within a few months. Only 5% of respondents surveyed develop chronic LBP (i.e pain that lasts for 3 months or longer). However, there is evidence that recurrence is common, ranging from 20-44% within 12 months for working populations. It is noteworthy that the older you get, the greater the likelihood of chronic LBP.

There is a significant relationship between the level of disability and intensity of pain as well as working hours in computer professionals with neck pain and back pain. Poor ergonomics such as inadequate chair height or bad desk positioning will not only inflict pain and discomfort but also have negative impacts on one’s performance and productivity.

Office yoga can help improve your posture, relieve pain in your back, neck, or shoulders. When you have been sitting for too long, and you’re ready for a stretch break, there are plenty of moves you can do right where you are. On the occasion of the International Day of Yoga celebrated on June 21, here are 9 yoga poses you can do at your desk to rejuvenate your body and mind during work hours as taken from eMediHealth.

See also: Squatting at Your Desk? Here are the Effects on Your Body

Wrist and finger stretch

Chair raised-hand pose

Seated crescent moon pose

Sit and stand chair pose

Seated forward bend

Chair pigeon pose

Hamstring stretch

Cow face arms pose

Seated twist pose

Are you ready to exercise? Let’s do it together (in our own home)!

Read also: Hong Kong companies turn to ‘laughter yoga’ to soothe stressed workers