Does your spine or neck feel sore and strained after work? Telecommuting has many benefits, but back pain is common for workers sitting at a desk all day. Check out our tips for reducing back pain while working from home for better spinal health and more comfortable working conditions.
Stay Away From Protracted Standing
The standing desk has become a trendy addition for many home offices and business workplaces. Many believe it’s better for their health, and while it’s good to stand up instead of sitting around all day, protracted standing can do more harm than good.
Standing for extended periods puts excess strain on your legs and feet, leading to problems with your posture and spine. It’s important to take breaks during the workday to get up, stretch, and walk around for a few minutes, but avoid standing at your desk for hours.
Adjust Desk/Screen Height
Perhaps the most common mistake that people make regarding their posture and work environment is the height of their desk and computer screen. Many people like to have their computer keyboard or laptop lower, as it’s more comfortable for their hands and wrists—but this puts stress on the neck to look down at the screen for hours.
While working at a desk all day, you want your neck and spine to be as straight as possible. Craning your neck down to the screen can lead to neck and back pain. Adjust your office chair, desk, and screen so that your neck is more comfortable.
Pro-Tip
Use books to raise the height of your laptop screen or monitor so that it’s directly in front of your eyes.
Invest in an Ergonomic Office Chair
When working from home or in an office, you’re going to spend a lot of time sitting in your office chair, even if you take regular standing and stretching breaks. Instead of sitting in a chair that hinders and promotes bad posture—which many office chairs do—invest in a high-quality ergonomic chair. This will greatly help to reducing back pain.
There are many benefits to an ergonomic office chair, chief among them being it encourages proper and comfortable posture while you work. Even after a few hours, you’ll notice an immediate difference in the comfort of your back and neck in a quality ergonomic chair.
Support Your Lower Back
Most people assume that the best posture for sitting at a desk is to be as rigidly straight as possible, but that’s a common misconception. While you don’t want to hunch over or lean too far back, you don’t need to be straight as an arrow.
Your spine’s most comfortable resting position is with your lower back curved inward toward your stomach. It’s called the lordotic curve and gives better support to your spine than leaning forward or completely straight.
Keep our tips in mind the next time you notice back pain while working from home to reduce discomfort and improve your posture!
