4 Tips to Stay Pain-Free While Working From Home

A large majority of us were unexpectedly thrust into the world of working from home earlier this year and with not much notice to set up an appropriate workspace, a lot of people have had to make do with a less than ideal office space. Maybe you’ve tucked yourself in a corner of your bedroom, or set up at your dining room table, but most of these spaces are just not laid out in a way that allows you to work for 8+ hours a day and not result in pain or injury. It’s important to be mindful of the quick and easy things we can do to help us avoid injury, here are 4 Tips to Stay Pain-Free While Working From Home:

Remember to Move & Give Your Eyes a Break

Movement is such a huge part of managing pain and avoiding injury, so we must aim for 2 short movement breaks per hour in addition to our regular exercise. It’s easy to forget to move when working from home so set alarms, use one of the many apps that remind you to move, whatever is hardest for you to ignore and get up and get moving for a couple of minutes.  A few short minutes to take a bathroom break or making lunch in the kitchen makes a huge difference when most of your day is spent sitting at your computer.

Keep Up With Your Appointments

If you’re currently dealing with pain or injury or you’re someone who needs regular visits to your chiropractor make sure to keep up with your appointments as much as possible (virtual or in-office). Kilian Upper Cervical is especially great for neck and posture-related issues which are extremely common problems in those that work at a desk.

Make Sure Your Office Setup is Ergonomic

If you don’t have a designated office space at home, you’ve probably set up shop at the dining room table, or even on your bed and none of these spaces is likely to be all that ergonomic. Ergonomics are an important part of staying pain-free when we’re forced to be sitting for long periods, luckily there are a few small changes that can make a world of difference when it comes to managing pain and injury.

Monitor & Laptop Positioning

Arguably one of the most important things is the height of your monitor or laptop. The top of your monitor should be at or just slightly below eye level – too high or too low and you’ll be straining your neck and eyes to properly see your screen. Your monitor should also be placed about arm’s length away, for the best viewing without eye strain. If you have a laptop, a laptop riser is ideal, but a quick fix is just sitting your laptop on top of a couple of study books.

You should use an external keyboard and mouse as often as possible when you’re using a laptop. For any computer, your keyboard and mouse should be on the same surface and they should be at a comfortable height that allows you to maintain your posture (pay attention to those shoulders, are they creeping up to your ears when you type?).

Good Chair

I don’t think I have to say much about the importance of a good chair. Having the proper support when sitting is one of the biggest factors in avoiding back pain while working from home. A good chair provides proper support for the curves of your spine (especially lumbar support), is height adjustable so it can be positioned so that you fit sit flat on the floor, and the armrests can be moved to a height where your arms can rest comfortably with your shoulders relaxed.

If you want more guidance Korsh Spinal or your local Chiropractor can help with ergonomics, as well as your ongoing care.

Watch How You’re Sitting

These tips won’t do much good if you’re not paying attention to how you sit. Make sure you’re always aware of how you’re sitting and try to maintain proper posture as much as you can (no leaning on your desk!).

We all know the negative effects of a sedentary life, and unfortunately, many of us have been forced into work from home situations where that’s unavoidable. These 4 tips should help you stay pain-free when working from home during the new normal.