Fixing desk-job joint pain: 5+ pieces of equipment to help you address your office-related pain

You’ve probably heard the phrase “sitting is the new smoking”. Long days in the office, striking on a keyboard, is not a natural position for which our hunter-gatherer bodies have evolved. Long time spend in an unnatural position results in organ suppression, joint wear and tear, inflammation, and lastly, pain as a way for your body to communicate to you that something’s wrong.

Office workers tend to complain about joint pain more than physical workers, even though the latter tend to stress their bodies more. The reason for desk-related joint pain is usually the long hours spent in unnatural positions, causing muscular imbalances, inflammation and joint stress that get no chance to naturally heal. Slouching for hours on end over a tiny keyboard staring at a tunnel-vision blue-light screen isn’t what billions of years of evolution designed us to do.

Below are a few pieces of equipment I have used to address specific desk-related joint pain.

1. Elbow and wrist pain

I fixed my right elbow and wrist pain by transitioning to a vertical mouse and a thumb trackball mouse. The forearm took a more external-rotation position that gave less stress to my elbow and wrist during those long mouse-clicking page-rolling office days. The trackball mouse took a lot of stress away from the wrist and elbow. I could even rest it on my thigh for even better shoulder position. I used the Perixx trackball mouse and the Hama vertical mouse.

2. Shoulder pain

I improved my shoulder joints pain by getting a split keyboard. This keyboard takes a lot of getting used to, but it was worth it, because of a few degrees of shoulder external rotation it yields, where the shoulder is in a more stable and safe position. With it, your blind typing will improve drastically.

I used the r-go split keyboard.

3. Ankle and knee pain

I fixed my ankle joint pain by combining pronation-control shoes and barefoot shoes. Due to wearing unnaturally rigid formal shoes for years, our toes become deactivated, neuromuscularly speaking. This means that the foot loses its stability, which then leads to a loss in ankle stability too. The naturally unnatural consequence of this is ankle pronation, which may cause ankle pain. This imbalance may transfer to other joints as a way for your body to compensate for it, causing knee pain, hip pain, lower back pain, and even shoulder pain. I used the pronation-control shoes for a few hours a day to give the chance for my ankles to heal. I wore the barefoot shoes for the rest of the day to allow my toes to spread and activate to foster foot stability.

I used the ASICS Gel-Kayano pronation-control running shoes and the Vivobarefoot Geo Racer barefoot performance shoes.

4. Lower back and hip pain

I drastically improved my lower back and hip pain by swapping my detrimental rolling office chair with a gym fitball. This unorthodox mode of sitting introduces instability, forcing your hip muscles to stay engaged and neuromuscularly active. This way, your central nervous system doesn’t “forget” how to use them throughout your day. With the fitball, you train your stabilizer muscle endurance, and most importantly, you maintain their neuromuscular activation. Using a fitball as a chair may also even out muscular imbalances in the hips and core, for example, imbalances between hips or imbalances between the abdominals and the lower back muscles. If you can get a standing desk to alternate between standing and sitting at regular intervals, that is ideal.

I used a generic gym fitball.

5. Neck pain

I got over my neck pain by getting a laptop stand to elevate my screen to the height of my eyes. By not having to look down at your screen, your neck remains in a neutral vertical position. Since I started using this setup, I noticed that headaches and eye aches have become infrequent. It’s also a good idea to couple this with a separate keyboard, unless you intend to use your laptop in a standing position.

I used a generic adjustable laptop stand from a DJ equipment shop.

Desk jobs are indeed hazardous to your health, and it’s time to recognize this… legally. Until we do, though, it’s a good idea to protect your health, while also making a statement, by utilizing every tool you’ve got at your disposal. Be the office health freak!

Disclaimer: the above do not constitute medical advice. Consult your physician for any joint pain or health-related issues you may have, and let them take responsibility. This content is for entertainment purposes only. None of my recommendations are paid advertising.