Sciatica from Office Work

If you spend your work days stuck behind a desk in the Depew, NY area, you may know what it is like to feel pain that begins in your lower back and radiates down one or both of your legs. The name for this is sciatica (because the pain comes from compression of the sciatic nerve) and it could be the one thing standing in the way of your work-related happiness.

Sciatica and Prolonged Sitting

Sciatic nerve pain can be caused by a number of different things (from herniated discs to being overweight which places an increased pressure on your spine), but prolonged sitting is one of the most common – and the most preventable. While you may be tied to your chair to answer the phone or greet customers, there are certain things you can do to decrease the likelihood that you will get sciatica and prevent work-related pain.

Here are just a few of them:

• Get up often and move around. Go to the bathroom or walk to the copier. Do what you have to do to get out of your chair and away from your desk.


• Perform stretches. If you can’t get away from your work area, at least take a moment every hour or so and do some stretches to alleviate the pressure on your spine.


• Get a chair that supports proper posture. The more aligned you keep your spine while sitting, the fewer sciatica related problems you will experience.

If you spend a lot of time behind your desk and have been diagnosed with sciatica or have sciatic nerve pain, call Dr. Palmer, your Depew chiropractor, and get into Buffalo Chiropractic to have an evaluation and begin your treatment immediately. Work happiness is just an appointment away!