Screen test for balance
You may be investing thousands of dollars in exercise, gyms and massage therapies, but there could be a simple cause to your modern day aches and pains. Before splurging on expensive therapies, desk-bound workers complaining of sore lower backs, shoulders and necks might like to check some rather basic things, such as the angle of their computer screen. If it isn't directly in front of you, you could be inflicting incredible stress on your body.
'[The pain] usually comes from the screen not being dead in front of them,' says chiropractor Carla Bekker-Smith. 'Even if it's just 10-20 degrees to one side, that constant rotation of the neck will cause all sorts of dramas.'
Bekker-Smith is a South African and the favoured chiropractor of the Valley football, rugby and netball teams. She recently opened a practice called Balance (Asia), in The Centrium, with the intention of offering a more holistic blend of chiropractor services, combined with other therapies.
In addition to routine therapies, Bekker-Smith offers modern techniques such as cranial-sacral therapy, in which she specialises in working with children. But most people walking through her door complain about work-related aches and pains.
'Most clients are people who have pain and problems due to sitting too long at a desk, or heavy travel schedules,' she says. 'Their bodies are run down. They're stressed out.'
For urban professionals, sore shoulders and necks are the No1 complaint. Bekker-Smith says this is usually because of the way people are sitting at their desks, without properly supporting the elbows while using a computer.
'Often the problem with furniture in Hong Kong is either that the chair can't fit under the desk, or people are too little or too big for their chair,' she says.
'We can work with their furniture and adjust the arm rests so their elbows are always supported when they are typing or writing. The importance is that it's your forearm that's doing the work, and not your whole arm suspended in space, straining the muscles that lead up to the neck.
'Either people can really tuck themselves under their desks and puts the elbows on the desk, or use the arm rests,' Bekker-Smith says.
Lower back problems are also common, and usually result from people's feet not touching the ground when they're sitting. The answer: 'Get a box under the desk. Folding your feet under your chair puts pressure on the knee.'
And it isn't just desks that are the culprits. Lying in bed and trying to work can be equally destructive. 'Often people take conference calls at home,' Bekker-Smith says. 'You find that they lie on their bed taking the call - they're on their laptop, on the phone, and it just creates havoc with their body.'
Although there are preferable ways to sit, Bekker-Smith suggests that regular movement is the best solution. 'The latest research in ergonomics is that the best thing is to move around a lot - even if you're in the perfect position,' she says. 'To sit there all day isn't good. It would be better to shift your position every now and then and get up and walk around.
'Our biggest culprits for not doing that are the graphic designers and IT guys. They get so into their creative groove they just go for hours and hours without standing or drinking any water.'
Bekker-Smith recommends a variety of stretches to get the blood flowing to the neck, chest and hands.
For the neck: sit at the desk and pull your chin in and straight down. Stretch it back up and then look 45 degrees to the right. Place one hand on the top of the head and repeat the stretch down. Do the same with the left side.
Now stretch your forearms. Hold you arm out in front of you and, keeping your elbow straight, use your other hand to bring the fingers back. Stretch each finger (without cracking knuckles). This also stretches the forearm, which rarely gets stretched in normal life.
Move away from the desk and grab a door frame or wall with one arm and stretch your chest straight out horizontally. 'This opens up the chest muscles and ribcage, and increases breathing,' says Bekker-Smith. She recommends these routines twice a day.
Balance (Asia), 3B, 31/F The Centrium, 60 Wyndham St, Central. Inquiries: 2530 3315.
