As many have shifted from working in an office to working from home, there has been an increase in patients experiencing pain. Ergonomics are important as work from home. Here are some tips to prevent back pain while working from home.
Keep Your Neck Straight
Sit at a comfortable height. If your screen is at too much of an angle, you’ll have to twist your neck and will end up with neck pain from the swiveling. While you may not have the same setup as in the office, all it takes is a stack of books or paper to get your screen up to eye level. Keep your papers flat on the table and your head will be moving up and down. Try a vertical document holder or stand and keep it next to your screen for easy viewing.
Put Your Mouse and Keyboard at a Comfortable Height
If your laptop is raised to get your screen eye level, try using a separate mouse and keyboard. Your hands and forearms should be level and straight and your arm should be close to the side of your body when you use your mouse. The nerves in your hand leave your neck and run down through your shoulder, elbow, and then wrist. When your arm is by your side, it prevents the nerves from being compressed. When you stretch it out to the side, you increase the risk of straining your shoulder or neck.
Take Advantage of Voice Input
Most phones, computers, and laptops come with voice recognition software. This is a useful tool that is good for most emails and text. This gives your hands, wrists, and arms time to rest.
Sit with Your Feet Flat
Sitting with your feet flat on the floor is a great way to protect your body and have good posture. Letting your feet dangle if they don’t reach the floor or pulling them underneath your chair puts added pressure under your thighs and restricts blood flow to your feet and lower legs thus increasing your risk of a deep vein thrombosis.
Avoid Too Much Sitting or Standing
To avoid sitting too long, it’s important to get up and get moving at least once an hour. This helps physically and mentally. Your brain gets a break, but your legs and back will too. Sitting too much is dangerous but this doesn’t mean you should spend the whole day standing. It’s not healthy to remain sedentary all day, but you can put a strain on your legs, feet, and circulatory system by standing too much. Rotating between standing and sitting is a safe bet. Too much standing or too much sitting can be bad for your health.
Get Adjusted
At Atlas Total Health, our goal is to help you achieve true health and wellness. Whether it’s relieving your body of new pain from working at home, getting your spine back in proper alignment, or helping you improve your health and wellness, chiropractic care comes with many benefits. To learn more about how your local chiropractor can help, contact us.
