Office workers are among the most unhealthy groups in the labor market. Daily sitting for many hours entails back pain, visual impairment and other problems.

Introducing you top 5 most common illnesses of office workers.

5. Spinal problems

Many white-collar workers sit at the workplace in an uncomfortable chair and in a position far from the one shown in the pictures “correct posture”. Because of this, back pain occurs, especially in the lower part of the spine.

Long stay in one position negatively affects the hip flexor muscles. And poorly flexing thigh muscles can contribute to back pain, since tense hips force the pelvis to tilt forward, straining the back of the back.

As prevention, you need to take regular breaks in sedentary work, at least go for a cup of tea or coffee.

4. Obesity and heart disease

Brain workers move very little during the day. And when they return home, they get so tired that after dinner they are lying on the sofa or sitting at their home computer. Such a sedentary lifestyle entails a risk of developing heart and vascular diseases. And the fats that have accumulated during the many daily snacks do not have time to spend. Obesity is one of the leaders in the black list of diseases of office workers.

In order not to count the folds at the waist and not to grab the heart, you should give the body physical activity (at least 30 minutes a day), take home lunch with you instead of various “quick soups”, and drink more water. A stomach filled with water requires less food.

3. Eye strain

The feeling of "sand in the eyes" and blurred vision is included in the top 5 complaints of office workers. Continuous, hours-long work at the computer - what could be a more favorable condition for the appearance of vision problems? Unpleasant sensations in the eyes, as well as pain in the neck or neck, can be signs of severe eye fatigue. Myopia, dry eye syndrome, farsightedness and other diseases can be avoided by taking regular breaks in work and giving the eyes rest.

2. Carpal tunnel syndrome

Any action that is repeated over and over (such as typing or moving the mouse) can cause injury or pain. Carpal tunnel syndrome is one of the most common illnesses of office workers. Its symptoms are tingling, numbness, itching, or even acute pain that occurs when a nerve passing through the forearm is compressed between the bones and tendons in the wrist. To avoid the appearance of tunnel syndrome, you need to hold the brush directly when working with the mouse. The brush should be on the table, as far from the edge as possible. For added convenience, you can buy a mouse pad with rubberized inserts.

1. Stress

Stress can be a problem for a person of any profession. But office workers who do not do physical work have fewer opportunities to “let off steam” to get rid of some of the negative emotions. According to RJC Associates, a consulting firm, about 22% of US office workers were brought to tears due to stress at the workplace and 9% of employees say that stress led to physical abuse. To manage stress, relaxation and deep breathing methods are used, and video games, such as the good old Tetris, are one of the ways to reduce stress as the most common illness of office workers.

Watch the video: How stress is killing us and how you can stop it. Thijs Launspach. TEDxUniversiteitVanAmsterdam (June 2025).