Wanderlust: Expat Life & Style in Thailand June / July 2017: The Business Issue | Page 49

Dr. Verapan, a surgeon who
specializes in spine and
brain surgery, giving an
explanation while medical
professionals look on.
Yes and no. If you sit all day at work, you’ll create
problems. But if you stand all day to work, you’ll create
other problems. I would say that, for some specific
patients after surgery it may be okay to use a stand-
up desk. The load to the lower back when standing is
better. For the neck, though, whether sitting or
standing, it doesn’t make much difference.
The best solution would be to stretch
your muscles or move around at
least every two hours.
Certain people have
attempted to sit on balancing
balls while working. If this
allows them to strengthen
muscles while working,
is it a good idea for some
people?
If you can sit on a balancing
ball and do it during work, you
must have strong core muscles! If
you can do that all day, then that’s
fantastic. But I am not sure you can
concentrate on your work.
the difference between what is possible in your 20s versus
your 60s, too.
Strain and injuries can also come from low-impact sports,
like yoga. Whatever you choose to do, a good instructor
or sports center should help you and guide you the
right way to avoid pain or injury.
You’ve been practicing medicine for
over two decades now. What kind
of health problems have you
noticed are on the rise?
Your monitor should be
placed at eye level so that
you neither have to extend
your neck to see the screen
nor bend your neck down.
Aside from working at computers, are
there are other common ways people in
today’s society cause themselves to develop neck and
back pain?
Many people come in with pain and injuries related to
high-i mpact sports, like water sports, mountain biking
or road biking. It’s about knowing your limitations. Not
everyone can do such sports, especially if they have
already had neck or back problems. It’s about knowing
Well, degenerative bone disease
is going up because people
are living longer. And there’s
more cancer, and more
heart problems. Most of the
health problems we have
now is because of we do to
ourselves. They come from
lack of exercise and improper,
unhealthy eating.
What are your top tips for
preventing back and neck pain?
Prevention means you must exercise
regularly. It helps a lot to avoid excessive load
on spine, by maintaining healthy body weight and
practicing good posture. Set up your office environment
properly so that you can sit in a comfortable way that
reduces back, shoulder and neck tension. If you work
for long time, you should change your position and do
stretching exercise. If you develop office syndrome, it is
usually due to muscle and ligament problems that can be
solved with stretching exercise.
WWW.WANDERLUSTMAG.COMWANDERLUST 49