Investing In An Ergonomic Office Chair-Well Worth It!!

After completing a few months of physical therapy, I discovered that I would never fully fix the root cause of my back pain without addressing my chair situation. The chair I was using was fine to look at and decent for occasional sitting, but completely inappropriate for daily use of 8 hours or more. I finally decided to invest in a proper chair, designed for those who sit for hours as part of their job.

These chairs are not cheap!!! I went with a low end chair from Ekornes, called Stressless. Love the name:) Who doesn't want to stress less? With the ottoman, the cost was around $1600. Considering I paid about $400 for my original chair and it only lasted a few years and was killing my back, I decided that the upfront cost would eventually be worth it. 

Upon setting up the chair, I immediately had buyers remorse. It looked different in my office, it wasn't super comfortable right off the bat, and it was so expensive!!! But I gave it a few weeks and was pleasantly surprised to find that my back pain slowly subsided. I also tried some minor changes in my routine, including taking standing/stretching breaks after each session and continuing with the physical therapy exercises I had learned. The difference those things have made is immense. While I am not completely without back pain, the change is monumental. I have had to accept that all forms of work cause injuries in their own ways, either physical, mental, or social. The curse of the therapist is that we must sit all day and there is no away to avoid the toll that will take on the body. But as I found out, there are ways to make it easier. They may be expensive at first, but I am sure they will pay off in the long run!!

I am no longer in physical therapy and only needed my massage membership for six months. While I am sure I would enjoy the perk of a monthly massage, I no longer feel it is necessary to keep me functioning well. 

Let me address the cost of my chair as well-I was slightly picky with the design because I didn't want it to look like too much of a desk chair. After very thorough research and a recommendation from another therapist, I found the Stressless brand at Cardi's. It met my needs of ergonomics and design and looks great in my office. Check out their website for more information @ www.ekornes.com. 

Monthly Massage Membership

People whose professions require them to sit for long hours at a time often suffer from back and neck pain. For myself, long days of sitting in my office chair have left me with significant upper back and neck pain and stiffness for years. I always chalked it up to a necessary evil of my profession, but recently have been taking steps to try to improve my condition in the interest of self-care. In an effort to avoid taking pain medication, I explored my options for alternative treatments.

Here is some info I found when researching my options for massage therapy:

Many types of massage offer benefits beyond simple relaxation. Here are just a few of the health problems that may benefit from massage. Ask your doctor before using massage for any health condition, though.

• Back pain-More than one study has shown the effectiveness of massage therapy for back pain. In fact, one 2003 study showed it worked better than acupuncture or spinal modification for persistent low back pain -- reducing the need for painkillers by 36%.
• Headache-Headache also responds to massage therapy, as shown by more than one study. Massage therapy can reduce the number of migraines a person has and also improve sleep.
• Osteoarthritis-In the first clinical trial looking at the effectiveness of Swedish massage for knee osteoarthritis, participants who received a one-hour massage either one or two times a week had improvements in pain, stiffness, and function. The control group had no such change.
• Cancer-Used as a complement to traditional, Western medicine, massage can promote relaxation and reduce cancer symptoms or side effects of treatment. It may help reduce pain, swelling, fatigue, nausea, or depression, for example, or improve the function of your immune system.
• Anxiety-A review of more than 12 studies shows that massage helps relieve depression and anxiety. It lowered levels of cortisol by up to 50%. And massage increased levels of neurotransmitters that help reduce depression

One of the approaches I decided on using was monthly massage. I always thought of massage as more of a fluffy, feel good treatment rather than a therapeutic tool. Dharma Healing Center offers a monthly membership program for $63 a month. I found this to be a reasonable price and also, Dharma is located in my office building so it was also convenient for me. I chose localized deep tissue massage as my treatment approach, hoping that it would address my chronic neck and back pain.

Dharma's new office is nicely decorated and the staff are warm and engaging. I have seen a few different therapists over the past few months and all the treatments have been excellent. Unfortunately, I have not found the overall results to be helpful in my situation. While the treatment is helpful in the immediate hours after, I find myself in pain again the next day. Of course, I also find myself back in my chair in the days after. Correlation? Absolutely. The culprit? My chair!!!

My new focus is addressing the real root of my problems, which I believe is my office chair and it's position in my room. My plan is to do some research on ergonomics and find the best chair recommended for people in my profession. I am also going to be seeking physical therapy, hoping to find some helpful exercises to prevent the pain from occurring in the first place. I've also ordered a yoga DVD for neck and back. I hope that some stretches and exercises will help re-align my back and muscles and together with my new chair, the problem may be solved!!

CONCLUSION: Massage is still a nice, soothing treatment to deal with muscular issues, however, in my circumstance, the actual causes of my issues are what need to be addressed to truly solve the problem. I will be posting again about the specific changes I have made and their results....hopefully good ones! I have some leads on ergonomic chairs and am scheduled to begin physical therapy this week. Looking forward to feeling pain-free:)

Reflexology-Best 90 Minutes Ever!!!

I recently had the luxury of experiencing a 90 minute foot reflexology treatment by Joanne Salem from Changing Lives. I purchased a Groupon and chose a 30 minute foot detoxifying bath followed by a 60 minute session of reflexology.

I was rushing on my way to the appointment (as I do pretty much daily) and it was a hot day, so when I arrived I was a little out of sorts. I was quickly taken into a room where Joanne met with me and began our healing session. She explained a little bit about the foot bath and how the colors will change depending on which part of my body are being detoxified. Sounded scary, but I was happy to see that my biggest issue with in my joints, which makes sense since I sit in a chair all day. Joanne was very easy to talk to and we had a great conversation while my feet were soaking. After my feet were thoroughly soaked, I climbed up on the table and Joanne worked her magic. It was the best one hour foot rub I ever had. Joanne had a variety of aromatic oils, and I was able to choose the one I wanted for my treatment. I can't honestly remember which scent I chose, but the idea behind it was relaxing. And it worked. I was so relaxed, I think I may have fallen asleep at one point. When I was done, I drove home on Cloud 9. I spent a few minutes extra just driving around aimlessly because I didn't want the calm to go away. When I got home and back to the reality of busy, busy life, I was still able to bring back the memory of that feeling and the sense of peace I had that afternoon. Overall, the feeling lasted a few hours and then the everyday pace of life brought me back to baseline. However, I can say that it is money well spent to devote a few hours to restoring your balance.. Even the simple hour of solitude and peace is healing on its own!


RESULTS? Definitely worth the Groupon and something that I can see myself doing a few times a month when I am in need of some de-stressing and soothing solitude. I would recommend it to anyone who is in need of some serious relaxation:)

Here is a little background information of reflexology from the Mayo Clinic:

Reflexology is the application of pressure to areas on the feet, hands and ears. Reflexology is generally relaxing and may be an effective way to alleviate stress.  The theory behind reflexology is that these areas correspond to organs and systems of the body. Proponents believe that pressure applied to these areas affects the organs and benefits the person's health.

Reflexologists use foot charts to guide them as they apply pressure to specific areas. Sometimes these practitioners use items, such as rubber balls, rubber bands and sticks of wood, to assist in their work.

Several studies funded by the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health indicate that reflexology may reduce pain and psychological symptoms, such as anxiety and depression, and enhance relaxation and sleep. Studies also show that reflexology may have benefits in palliative care of people with cancer.

Reflexologists claim that reflexology also can treat a wide variety of medical conditions, such as asthma, diabetes and cancer. However, scientific evidence is lacking to support these claims.

Soooo, while it may not be "officially" supported by scientific evidence, there are scores of people who would tell you it works for them, including me!