It is possible to suffer injury in any line of work. Still, you might think that sitting at your desk at an office will spare you from many kinds of risks to your health. However, office work can not only result in health problems like carpal tunnel syndrome, but you could also suffer injuries to your knees.
You may find it odd that sitting in a desk chair for a long time can cause your knees to hurt, but in reality, office work may increase the likelihood of suffering knee pain. Healthline explains why office workers like yourself could experience heightened knee injury risk.
Prolonged sitting
If you sit at your desk without getting up for hours, your extended period of inactivity could make your tendons and muscles stiffen up. Your risk of knee pain may go up particularly if you sit for more than six hours in a workday. Breaking up your sitting periods with stretching and short walks may help prevent this from happening.
Poor sitting postures
Prolonged sitting can also cause pain if you sit in a position that applies pressure to your knees for too long. You might cross your legs for an hour or two, or you may bend your legs underneath your chair. Avoiding these awkward positions with proper ergonomics may prevent you from hurting your knees without you realizing it.
Pain caused by furniture
Your pain may also result from the chair you sit in. A chair that does not support your body can overexert your muscles. If you sit in a low chair, it may force you to bend your knees for an extended period. Your desk may also be the problem. A desk that is too high up will cause you to overreach for too long and hurt your knees or arms.
It is also possible that your knee pain may result from an underlying condition that you are not aware of, perhaps because of another workplace activity that is causing you injury. Regardless, you may have need of workers’ compensation if your knee injury is too painful and impedes your ability to work or perform daily activities.
