Why doing more exercise isn't closing the desk-pain gap

It always surprised me that desk workers ended up forming at least half of my client list.

When I trained as an osteopath 3 decades ago, I imagined I'd spend most of my time helping people whose jobs were physically demanding.

People lifting, carrying and putting obvious strain on their bodies every day.

It hadn't occurred to me that the people struggling most would often be the ones sitting behind a desk.

What surprised me even more was that many of them were already investing in their health.

They cared about how they felt, exercised when they could and valued their mobility and wanted to stay active for as long as possible.

That's why they would arrive frustrated because despite all that effort, they could feel their body moving in the wrong direction.

Over time I started to understand why.

The problem wasn't a lack of motivation or effort.

It was that they were spending six to eight hours a day in a situation that was shaping their body far more than they realised, and nobody had shown them how to influence what was happening while they were actually there, and without disturbing their work flow.

That's where my work became much more micro.

Not chasing symptoms or focusing on the painful area, but looking at and working on the small adaptations that can support and protect the body throughout a workday and prevent the build up of stiffness, fatigue and pain.

That's the work that led me to create Bodywork Lab.

The community is for people who know their workday is affecting their body, but suspect there's a better answer than simply trying to undo the damage afterwards or an ergonomic chair!

If you've ever felt like your workday and your health aspirations are pulling in opposite directions, you'll find a new way forward in BODYWORK LAB

You can start with SIT ACTIVE, a workshop I ran last week which gives you the best place to begin with the micro changes that support you at your desk. It's in the classroom for free for a few more days.

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