Could your desk ergonomics be hindering your climbing progress? 

Climbing is a high-impact sport that requires strong muscles and healthy joints for longevity. Poor ergonomics in desk jobs can lead to muscle and joint issues, even without pain, affecting performance in climbing. On top of correcting poor desk ergonomics, regular movement, stretching and targeted warm-ups are also key to minimise the risk of injuries to optimise your body’s readiness for climbing.

The effects of poor desk ergonomics 

The muscles in the neck, back and wrists become fatigued over prolonged periods of sitting, especially with a poor desk set-up. Reduced blood circulation from lack of movement and fatigue can impair muscle performance, especially after a long day of desk work. Over time, such issues can also develop into muscle pain, weakness, and joint stiffness; all of which impact climbing performance. 

4 Crucial Elements of Good Climbing Mechanics 

Climbing is a full-body sport that places high demands on the muscles and joints. Holding rocks, also known as ‘holds’, on walls requires repetitive use of the fingers, hands and shoulders for gripping and latching. To minimise stress on the wrists & fingers, much stability is required in the larger postural muscles in the neck, shoulders and back. The back and leg muscles are also essential to optimise movement efficiency by way of maintaining core stability and pushing one’s weight up against gravity to couple with the pulling of the upper limbs. These muscle areas can all be affected by poor desk ergonomics.

1) The Neck: Risks during climbing and screen use

Craning the neck forward or downwards to use a computer or phone for prolonged periods can tire the neck muscles that help to support the head. In climbing, looking up at walls (neck extension) constantly can place additional strain on these muscles. This weakness can lead to neck pain during extension and increase the risk of whiplash from improper falls, especially while bouldering. 

2) The Role of the Shoulders

Shoulder pain also often occurs in tandem with neck pain. Hunching or craning forward can cause chest muscle tightness, encouraging poor form in climbing and compromising stability in the shoulders. This can force other joints like the elbows and wrists into unnatural or extreme positions, increasing the risk of ligament or muscle strains.The rotator cuff muscles are also weakened with hunching and are at risk of strains or even tears while climbing, due to their role of stabilising the shoulder joint in all angles of movement.  

3) Wrists: Stability and Mobility

Repetitive typing without proper arm support and frequent phone use can lead to tightness & stiffness in the wrist muscles and joints. Climbing requires strength and mobility in the wrist, a lack of which can cause compensation above or below it in the upper limb kinetic chain like the fingers and shoulders, leading to injuries like finger joint tenosynovitis from mechanical stress.

4) Importance of The Back Muscles 

Poor back support often causes slouching and weakness of the back muscles, straining ligaments and spinal discs. On the contrary, prolonged upright sitting without back support can also cause overuse and tightness of the back muscles. Both can result in weak and underused, or overly active back muscles, resulting in undue tension in the lower back and poor core stability. Back pain can hinder climbing performance and be exacerbated by movements requiring tension and twisting, which are commonplace in the sport. Proper falling technique in bouldering also requires back mobility and strength to absorb and distribute impact in order to protect the spine. 

5 Tips for Reducing Risk of Climbing Injuries

Many climbers with 9-to-5 jobs visit the climbing gym after hours, and without adequate movement throughout the day, ergonomics and a proper warm-up routine, may find themselves at risk of injuries during climbing. Incorporating the following exercises and habits can help to minimise the effects of poor desk ergonomics on climbing performance and prevent injuries and even pain: 

Regular movement

It is common knowledge that prolonged sitting for 3-4 hours straight is not ideal for our bodies. However, it is easy to get engrossed in deadlines and drafts for hours on end. Getting up from the chair to take a short walk and do targeted stretches for 5 minutes every 45-60 minutes can help to give the neck, back and shoulder muscles a break, as well as encourage blood circulation and joint mobility. If you tend to forget, setting hourly alarms on your mobile phone is one way to ensure accountability!

Stretching 

Stretching is a great way to give the postural muscles a break and relieve tension. Doing simple shoulder rolls, gentle neck stretching and circles or simply looking up hourly can reduce neck and shoulder muscle fatigue. Common stretches like the downward dog pose, puppy pose and clasping the hands together and putting them behind the head can help to stretch out tight chest and shoulder muscles. Knee hugs, twisting and sideways stretches are also helpful for the back and spine. Stretching for the forearms can also be done by bending the fingers backwards or down with the opposite hand. Each stretch can be done about 10-15 times or held for 20-30 seconds. 

Desk ergonomics

To minimise neck craning, adjust your screen so that its top bezel is at eye level or slightly lower. Position your monitor about an arm’s length away. Attaching a headrest to your chair can also help to support your head. Ensure your elbows are properly supported by armrests or the table and place wrist support for your arms during typing. 

For full back support, sit all the way back and rest into the backrest of your chair. If it is too far, you can place a pillow or towel against it to ensure your knees are in line with the hips and both feet are flat on the floor. 

Warming up 

The stretches mentioned before are just as important to perform prior to a climbing session as they are during the work day. Common yoga poses are also helpful for targeting multiple areas at once. In addition to these stretches, it is important to also mobilise the shoulder, hip and knee joints and activate specific muscles during warm-up:

1. Shoulders: prayer stretch, push-ups, push-up plus, dolphin pose, downward dog and doorway stretch are helpful for stretching the chest muscles and activating important stabilising muscles. Doing military presses with a resistance band can also activate the rotator cuff muscles.
2. Back: child’s pose, cobra pose, cat-cow, supine rotation, Jefferson curls and deadlifts are excellent for improving back mobility and activating spinal stabilisers to prepare for potential stress or impact.
3. Wrists and fingers: push-ups, cat-cow with wrists bent backwards, wrist curls, pull-ups and gentle fingerboard hangs through range are important for wrist mobility and activating wrist stabilizers. Stretching after climbing sessions can also help to maintain forearm muscle tone. 
4. Hips and knees: deep lunges, squats, cossack squats, pancake stretch, pigeon pose and butterfly stretch are great ways to stretch tight hips and legs. 

Pacing yourself 

A large fraction of climbing injuries arise from overuse and not listening to our bodies. At times, we may have had a long or stressful day at work and feel inclined to push ourselves in the climbing gym as a form of stress relief. Moreover, climbing can be a highly engaging and addictive hobby. It is, however, important to preserve the longevity of our bodies in the sport so we can enjoy it as long as we like. Practising discretion in ending a climbing session timely when fatigue or pain arises in the neck, shoulders and back can come a long way in preventing injuries. 

Physiotherapy treatment for deskbound pain and climbing

If you experience any of the aforementioned pains or aches at work or during climbing, feel free to reach out to schedule an appointment with our team of experienced physiotherapists. They are skilled in helping to effectively address and resolve musculoskeletal aches and pains from both desk work and climbing.