Cart
Thanks to recent research monitoring the health of people at work, many of us have become keenly aware of the negative health implications of sitting behind a desk all day. This, in turn, has driven interest towards standing desks and everything they provide.
But many people are concerned about the relationship between swollen ankles, as well as other ailments like heel pain at a standing desk.
In this article, we take a look at what could be causing painful, swollen ankles at your standing desk and what you can do to avoid it.
Swelling of the calves and ankles can occur as a result of standing for too long. This is due to gravity causing the blood to pool at your legs and feet. The water in your blood leaks into the tissue, which leads to pain and swelling.
Thankfully, an adjustable-height desk is a simple solution. By allowing yourself to both sit down and stand up whenever you feel uncomfortable, you’ll quickly improve your posture, circulation, and productivity.
Sit-to-stand desks come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and designs to suit your need and space.
By standing upright, you maintain good posture by easing the pressure being built on your back, shoulders and spine by stretching them out. This prevents damage done to your spine caused by slouching at a desk for too long.
When you're in a sedentary position for too long, your blood circulation begins to slow down. This causes blood to build up in your legs and feet, disrupting the flow of blood to your heart, which can be harmful.
Standing upright helps you prevent this build-up and allows the blood to flow effectively by applying pressure to the valves in your leg veins and allowing for better circulation of blood to your heart.
Standing and lying down are the two positions that put the least amount of pressure on the back. Standing can help you prevent added pressure by stretching out your spine. Although, too much standing can also present its own set of downsides as well.
As stated previously, standing for long periods of time causes blood to pool in the legs and feet. Another ailment that this causes is varicose veins. This occurs when blood builds up and adds pressure to the leg veins.
This pressure causes your leg veins to become swollen, which aside from being unsightly, can become quite painful.
Standing for too long causes your pelvis to be moved back, which causes your lower back to curve. This causes stress to the tissue surrounding the spine and leads to nerve and joint pain.
This lower back pain can develop and turn into hip pain from standing desks. Like with swollen ankles, the simple solution to this is to switch between sitting and standing frequently, which adjustable-height standing desks allow.
Compression socks are specially made to prevent swelling and maintain good blood flow in your legs and feet. They work by applying a gentle pressure to your legs which improves blood flow, prevents discomfort and helps you avoid getting ailments such as varicose veins.
Comfortable Footwear
It's important to be mindful of your footwear if you work a job that involves lots of standing. Wearing comfortable shoes with efficient padding and cushioning can help to ease the pressure on your feet.
An anti-fatigue mat helps by absorbing shock to your feet, ankles, knees, hips and back. It helps with blood flow and keeps the blood from pooling at your legs and feet.
Standing the right way can help as well. While standing, it is best to keep your knees slightly bent instead of locking them in place. This prevents your pelvis from being pushed forward, causing stress to your lower back.
Keeping your monitor at eye level also helps to prevent injury and wrist pain from your standing desk.
The human body wasn’t meant to be in a single position for long stretches, even more so when it comes to sitting. Below are some issues that can be caused by a sedentary lifestyle.
People who live a sedentary lifestyle have a higher chance of gaining high blood pressure due to a lack of exercise and inactivity. High blood pressure can lead to issues such as a lack of concentration, as well as serious cardiovascular complications.
Sitting for extended periods means that your body isn't burning calories by using up energy through physical activity. Overtime, this can lead to weight gain or even obesity.
Although the calories burned at a standing desk are minimal, encouraging yourself to move and stretch more will help to keep you motivated to exercise.
Vertebrae are the small bones that make up your spine. Between the vertebrae are disk-like structures containing a soft substance, which is responsible for the absorption of shock caused by movement.
Being seated for too long causes your spine to become compressed and puts pressure on your vertebral discs, which can lead to chronic pain if subjected to this treatment for long periods of time.
In hindsight, both standing and sitting for too long can be a detriment to your health. There are, however, ways to avoid negative side-effects they present.
A sit-to-stand desk is an adjustable desk that allows you to alternate between sitting and standing. By regularly alternating between the two, you ease the pressure built up in certain parts of your body that sitting and standing for too long causes.
With a sit to stand desk you can burn calories by standing, and sit down to avoid damage caused by standing for too long.
Maintaining as much physical activity as possible can help you avoid problems stemming from a sedentary lifestyle.
Whether it be regular exercise or even just taking a walk in between work or whenever the opportunity arises, remaining active helps with blood circulation which is the leading cause of ailments such as swollen ankles or varicose veins.
Messaging your feet and keeping them elevated after a long day's work can help relieve some of the stress that has been built up throughout the day.
Did you find our blog helpful? Then consider checking:
