'Put Your Back into it'

This article appeared in the Body& Soul section of The Times on Saturday 4th December 2004

PUT YOUR BACK INTO IT

Are you finding work and the gym a pain in the neck? Few of us realise that the way we use our body in everyday situations can be damaging, and not only to our backs. Janet Tappin-Coelho talks to three practitioners of the Alexander Technique who tell you what you need to know

DON'T BE A SLOUCH IN THE OFFICE

Fifty per cent of Stephanie Smith’s client’s are office workers suffering from chronic back pain or repetitive strain injury (RSI). Smith, who works from her home in Theydon Bois, Essex, says: “Most of us don’t realise just how easy it is to put our bodies out of sorts simply using a computer.” The cause is often bad posture while sitting at the terminal. Many people lean into the computer screen as they concentrate on their work, which causes the body to slouch. And as the abdominal muscles curl, the back muscles tighten to counterbalance the forward pull, causing tension in the upper back and putting a strain on the shoulders, arms, hands and fingers.

“If we slump it means that we aren’t using the external support that’s available to us, such as the floor and our chair,” she says. “We are also not using our own internal support, the postural muscles that sit deep against our skeleton and hold us up against gravity. Instead we overwork the wrong muscles, our superficial movement ones, and use them to keep us upright.”

Students of the Alexander Technique are taught how to activate their postural muscles and to use their surrounding environment. The keyboard, however light, she claims, can also be used as a supportive tool. The aim is to learn how to use your sensory skills to direct the flow of support from the floor, up the legsto your hips and bottom where the support of the chair takes over

Smith tells her students to think about holding their arms at 90 degrees to the floor when typing, without allowing their wrists to collapse — if neccessary using a wrist support. She also advises students to try to lengthen their fingers and to widen the palms of their hands, and not to be heavy-handed. “The support from the keys will then flow from the fingertips — giving lightness and ease of movement — up to the shoulders, which should free muscular tension.”
Other practical steps she recommends are to make sure that your chair gives you the right support; organise your desk so that you do not distort your body as you reach for a file; and never hug the phone between your shoulder and ear as this creates a tension in the upper torso. Both feet should also be placed squarely on the ground and you should not cross or wrap your legs round a chair. If you feel tense, don’t simply relax as that flops the body forwards, and don’t push your shoulders back as that narrows the back and tightens the shoulders. Reduce stress by regularly taking short breaks.

by Janet Tappin-Coelho - The Times. 4th Dec 2004