Ergoblog

Exercises You Can Do At Your Desk

The human body wasn't meant to be confined to a chair 8 or more hours a day.  If you get headaches, tension, or you're like me and you have trouble with RSI, it's recommended that you take frequent breaks throughout the day and get the blood flowing.  That can be hard when you're working in an office setting, though.

Here's a few exercises you can do at your desk from the book I always recommend to people having hand or wrist problems, It's Not Carpal Tunnel Syndrome! RSI Theory & Therapy for Computer Professionals (all exercises can be performed without getting out of your chair):

• If you have lower back pain, or that area gets tense during prolonged sitting, try some pelvic tilts: roll "your pelvic area backward as if flattening your lower back against your chair, then back to the neutral position."
• Do shoulder shrugs and shoulder circles.
• Stretch your wrists and fingers often.
• Move your feet to get blood flowing down there by doing marching motions, kicking, and raising and lowering your heels (ankle pumps).
• Stretch your head, neck, and upper back, and roll your head in circles.
• Stretch your chest muscles by holding your hands behind your chair.
• Do nerve glides.  (These are hard to explain--and you don't want me to try and draw stick figures--but the book goes into detail on how to do them and their benefits.)

My Foam Roller Arrived

Last week I mentioned that I had ordered a foam roller after trying one at the gym.  It arrived a couple days ago, and I've been working on it a bit.  The pamphlet that came with it isn't the best for my purposes (there seem to be a lot of exercises that involve standing on it for improving balance--nothing wrong with that, but I'm more interested in working on my RSI), so I will have to hunt down some more information on the Internet. 

I have tried moving the roller along various muscles and holding it when I come to a sort of knot or tense spot (this is what the personal trainer at the gym recommended). It seems to work quite well on the legs, esp. my hamstrings, for loosening the muscles.  I feel a little more awkward using it on my back and arms, but that could be because I need to find a better description of how to use it on those areas. 

Since I've had some but limited success with dealing with my RSI symptoms through strengthening the muscles in my hands/wrists (Flextend), I'm trying to learn more about trigger points, massage, and treatments that target more than the area where the pain is manifesting itself. I recently found a copy of the The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook which I'm hoping to read in more depth when I have some time (a lot of the exercises look like they could be done with the foam roller). 

Yoga For Combating Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, RSI, Tension, Etc.

All of the RSI-related sites and books I've read have recommended stretching, some recommending yoga specifically. The nice thing about yoga is that it incorporates deep breathing with the stretches (The book It's Not Carpal Tunnel Syndrome! RSI Theory and Therapy for Computer Professionals recommends deep, diaphragmatic (abdominal) breathing to ensure the upper body stays loose and receives all the oxygen it needs--page 178).

The idea of signing up for a yoga class didn't appeal much to me--I like exercise, but sitting on the floor with a bunch of people in spandex stretching for an hour isn't really my thing--so I decided to check out some of the yoga videos you can do at home. This turned out to be a good choice for me, because a lot of the videos have workouts that can be done in about 20 minutes which is easier to fit in during the day and doesn't involve commuting. A number of the newer yoga videos, those on DVD, have multiple workouts on them so you don't get bored as quickly doing the same routine over and over.

Now, you people that like the yoga classes, all the power to you. I prefer the privacy of my living room. It could have something to do with the fact that I'm not exactly graceful. You know those standard yoga positions? Tree? Cat? Cobra? Well, insert the word "falling" in front of any of them, and that pretty much describes me. Yeah, even Cobra. You wouldn't think you could lose your balance on the ground, but I'm talented.

Anyway, I bought my first yoga videos about nine months ago, and I've been fairly good about doing them at least a couple of times a week. I don't know if yoga can instantly cure you of all your ailments, but I do find taking a break from the computer and doing some of the stretches can help relieve tension in your shoulders and neck. If you're experiencing pain from RSI in your hands/wrists, some of the positions may hurt a bit in the beginning, but most of them can be modified so you don't have to put your full weight on your hands.

Here are a couple of mini reviews of some of the videos I have in my collection:

Yoga for Dummies

Reminiscent of the other "for Dummies" stuff, these videos (there's a beginner one and a more advanced one) take things slow with lots of tips and explanations while your stretching. It's good in the beginning, but once I was familiar with the tape, I found the pace to be slower than I liked. If you're going to get one of the Yoga for Dummies videos, go for the two pack that includes both the beginners and the advanced workouts. It's about the same price as buying them separately. For both, the workouts are about 45 minutes.

AM & PM Yoga

This is my favorite of the videos I've purchased. It comes with two workouts, one about 15 minutes and one about 25 minutes. The AM one is very relaxed and easy, with most of it down on the ground. The PM one is the longer of the two and a little more challenging, but still fairly basic (If I can do it...). Both workouts move along at a good pace, never leaving you in one position until your mind starts to wonder.

Yoga For Inflexible People

Despite the title, this is the more challenging of the three videos I've mentioned. You really get your money's worth, though. There is something like 36 workouts on the DVD, ranging from 15 minutes to an hour and 15 minutes (for the masochistic types among you). The workouts are divided into categories (i.e. legs, back, shoulders) so you can do whatever you happen to be in the mood for that day.

Nerve Gliding/Sliding for Help with RSI/Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

I'm working my way through Dr. Scott Fried's Carpal Tunnel Helpbook (I'll post a review when I'm done). I'm reading the chapter on nerve sliding (also called nerve gliding). These are simple stretching exercises that can help prevent nerve scarring (can result when the nerve isn't able to slide through the surrounding tissues as it should) and subsequent inflammation which is at the root of repetitive strain injuries like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

There are several stretches that focus on the hands, arms, shoulders, and neck. These can be used as part of a preventative program or to help avoid permanent scarring; if some damage has been done, the book suggests it may be possible to reverse it through a stretching program and improvement of the work area, posture, etc.

I suggest reading more before starting a program (both The Carpal Tunnel Helpbook and It's Not Carpal Tunnel Syndrome... explain further and demonstrate these exercises with pictures) if you're interested, and definitely see a doctor if you're experiencing pain. I did manage to find one site that can give you an idea what nerve gliding is, though, and how to perform the exercises:

http://www.healthetalk.com.au/index76.html