Work At Home Office Setup -Physio Advice to Avoid Pain

For many of you, the shift to working from home happened without much planning about equipment and set up.

You  may now have an unfamiliar office or computer setup. The work postures and habits that you had established before are not possible with the equipment  now available to you. Before long feelings of restriction and sensations of soreness and tightness in your neck, shoulders, mid or lower back begin. You might even be getting headaches or pins and needles.

You may have learned in the past about work station set up through having treatment for neck, shoulder or back pain. For some reason when your transitioned to working from home, you didn’t think to apply your knowledge. It’s okay, we’re only human, and I can assure you that you are not the only one.

Do you become  more absorbed in your work without changing position  because there are none of the usual distractions?  Meetings, discussions with colleagues and regular meal breaks all break up the day.

Even if you have your work station set up well and are aware of your posture, your body won’t appreciate the increase.

Have you even tried some basic stretching and a few tricks you found on the internet but nothing seems to help.

Here’s how to prevent it in the first place.

I’m going to share with you the basics of setting up your workstation and the efficient posture you need to get the most out of it.

 

Sitting basics

• Have your backside higher than your knees, so your thighs are sloping down.

• Use firm cushions  or folded blankets to raise the height of  your chair.

• Sit tall so that the back of your head is in line with your backside. Line your ear up over  your shoulders.

• Rest your elbows on your sides

Computer set up

• Do not use laptops in your lap. Use a remote keyboard and track pad to achieve good sitting posture
• Set up your monitor height so the top third of the screen is in line with your eyes. There are many great ergonomic devices available. In most cases you can achieve a good set up without specialised equipment.
• Place your keyboard at elbow height or slightly lower so your wrists are straight. Don’t use a mouse; instead use a track pad, so you are not straining your wrist to reach up to the mouse.
• Place often-used items where you can reach them whilst maintaining good posture.

Movement and position strategies

• Avoid any repeated or prolonged rotation of your spine eg. reaching  the right hand  across the body to get a phone charging on the left of the desk .
• Vary your position throughout the day. I recommend changing position every two hours. Alternate between sitting and standing or leaning. Leaning – support your backside but  have most of your weight on your feet and your knee’s bent 5 to 10 degrees. Even with excellent posture, you still need to vary the stresses on your body throughout the day.
• Get up and move every 30 minutes. Make a warm drink or do a few repetitions of your favourite exercise.