With many jobs being transitioned into remote work and more hours spent sitting indoors, it’s important to check in with your at-home workspace to avoid pain.
First things first, what is your working arrangement like from home? While it may be tempting to sink into the couch for hours, it can often affect your back long term. This is where ergonomics in the workspace comes into play. Ergonomics is an applied science concerned with designing and arranging things people use so that the people and things interact most efficiently and safely.
Why is ergonomics so important?
- Repetitive movements over time can put stress on your muscles and joints.
- Pain is always the last to show up – after tissues already have been stressed too much.
- Working preventatively can limit the amount of stress on our bodies.
Without proper ergonomics, pain can creep in in a number of places.
When setting up your perfect at-home desk, we recommend following these tips!
- Keep your keyboard directly in front of you, parallel to desk, near edge. Keep your wrists neutral and your mouse directly beside you (ideally, wireless).
- For your monitor, your screen should be 22-26 inches away to reduce eye strain. Keep your monitor directly in front of yourself. Lastly, the height of monitor should be 17-19 degrees above where you are looking.
- For head and neck posture, keep your head over your shoulders in a neutral position to decrease the work load on your “computer muscles. (Your head is an 8-12lb bowling ball…the further away and down you are placing that bowling ball, the harder the neck and upper back muscles have to work to keep it up!)
- Lumbar Support is key. Lumbar support roll should be placed right above the belt line. Lean back onto the roll just enough so ears are in line with shoulder, if uncomfortable, move your bottom forward slightly. We have lumbar rolls available for purchase at all 17 of our locations!
- Take a break and move. While this can be a stressful time for many of us, it is important to think about what matters the most. Without health, we are unable to perform at our jobs to the best ability. Take a break away from the screen, do a few of your favorite exercise, and breathe.
For more tips, stay tuned on our blog. If you need help reaching your health goals, we are here for you! Fill out the form below to get started.
Schedule
Please fill out the form to request an appointment at our health and wellness center for the service and location of your preference. We try to get back to all requests as quickly as possible. If you need immediate assistance, please call 773-598-4387.
Your safety comes first: we are operating with heightened safety measures in our clinics and offer telemedicine for those unable to visit in person.
