When you're suffering from back pain, making the effort to call a chiropractor's office and arrange a consultation is the first step in your recovery. After diagnosing the nature of your issue, the chiropractor will provide an adjustment and give you a treatment plan that incorporates future adjustments until your pain is gone. Although the chiropractor will take the lead in your recovery, you can play an active role as well. Given that you spend many of your waking hours at work, here are three areas that you can address to ensure your workday doesn't contribute to your back pain.

Perfect Your Posture

If you spend much of the day seated, you don't want poor posture to lead to back pain. Employ a healthy posture by sitting in an upright manner. Push your buttocks to the back of the chair and engage the chair's lumbar support or place a rolled towel against your lower back to ensure your spine has the proper curve. Your legs should be bent at approximately 90 degrees, as should your elbows, which should rest comfortably on your chair's armrests so that your shoulders are relaxed. Pull your shoulders backward and avoid slouching forward, which puts considerable stress on your back.

Get Up And Move

Try to avoid being sedentary for too long. Making it a priority to get up and move throughout the workday avoids holding your back in one specific position for lengthy stretches and worsening your pain. Try to do some form of movement every hour. The movement can be as simple as standing up and stretching your body gently to the left and right, rolling your shoulders forward and backward and gently walking in place. Other ideas include walking to refill your water bottle every hour or walking to a colleague's desk to speak about a work matter in person, rather than making a phone call or using email.

Find Time For Exercise

Many people use their lunch break to work out, and doing so is an effective way to beat back pain. Stronger core and back muscles provide more support for your spine, which means you're less likely to slouch in an unhealthy manner. Even if you aren't able to visit a gym, commit to taking a short walk around the block or climbing the stairs in your building. If you have trouble getting motivated, recruit a fitness-minded colleague to join you. Walking at lunch hour has an added perk of clearing your mind during the workday and giving you something to anticipate throughout the morning. To learn more about back pain, contact someone like Commonwealth Chiropractic.