Solutions for leg & ankle pain at work
Find out how to solve leg & ankle pains at your desk
There are numerous causes of leg and ankle pain and we would not propose that we can solve them all.
However, if your ankle or leg pain increases at work and decreases on holiday then it may be related to a badly setup workstation or bad habits at your desk.
Below are some of the common causes and associated solutions.
Sustained posture
The body does not like static and sustained postures, as they reduce blood flow and can cause pain and discomfort in the muscles maintaining the posture.
Make sure you take breaks and walk around as much as possible.
You can also try these related leg and ankle workstation exercises.
Height adjustable desks allow you to alternate between sitting and standing positions, which can really help with ankle and knee pain.
Ankle and knee crossing
Many people lean forward to work with one foot resting on the back of the ankle of the other foot, putting pressure on the Achilles tendon. This can restrict the flow of nutrients to a tendon, which even under normal conditions has a poor supply.
Try to avoid this bad habit.
Referred Pain
It is possible that ankle pain can be referred from pressure on the nerves in the lower back.
Make sure your chair is well set up. If you cannot adjust the chair to suit you, you may need to change your chair.
End of range positions
Most joints are at their most comfortable at a position midway between fully bent and fully extended. If you sit at a height or position that causes you to adopt extremes of either of these ankle positions, then that may be the source of your problem.
You may need a footrest if your feet are not well supported on the floor.
Obstructions
Make sure your feet area is clear (unless using a footrest) so you can maintain a good posture. This area should allow you to move not be a storage space.
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