As more and more people work remotely for extended periods of time during this pandemic, it’s important to remember the importance of maintaining good posture in order to support your musculoskeletal health.
In today’s blog post, our Fort Collins chiropractors are going to share a few tips for creating an ergonomic home office. While it can be challenging to create an ergonomic set up at work, those challenges can increase at home, when you might be working at a makeshift table in your basement or with a laptop at your kitchen table. Continue reading to learn more, and if you’re experiencing back pain, migraines, or neck pain, schedule an appointment with a Revelations Chiropractic chiropractor today.
Create A Dedicated Workspace
One of the easiest ways to cause back pain is by working in places that aren’t designed for work. If you take anything away from this chiropractor post, please do not work while sitting on a bed or couch for long periods of time!
Instead, find a space with a desk or table that can be dedicated for computer use. Try to use a separate monitor, keyboard, and mouse. If you only have a laptop, try buying a keyboard and place the laptop on a stand or pile of books. If you’re on the phone for much of the day, try to use a speakerphone or headset rather than holding the phone to your ear or bracing it between your head and shoulder.
Remember N-E-W
Using the phrase NEW is an easy acronym to help you maintain an ergonomic posture and reduce the risk of injury.
N – Neutral Posture
Sometimes when you try to maintain good posture you can end up straining your back, sitting up straight and holding your shoulders back isn’t something you can maintain. Instead, work to achieve a neutral posture, sitting with the neck straight, shoulders loosely at the sides, elbows at a right angle, wrists straight, and your lower back supported on the backrest of your chair. For your lower body, try to achieve a 90-degree angle at the hips and knees, with your feet flat on the floor.
E – Eyes
Your eye level and gaze are a very important part of sitting ergonomically. Whether you are sitting or standing, the top of your monitor should be at or slightly below eye height.
W – Work Area
Keep the things that you use most — phone, mouse, keyboard, notepad etc. — in the area close to you, so you don’t need to continually reach out to use them.
Build Little Ergonomic Habits
Set a timer on your phone and take a break every half hour or so. Get up, stretch, change your posture. Maybe put your laptop on top of a bookcase to make an improvised standing desk. Or roll up a towel for lumbar support or sit on a thin pillow to make your cheap chair more comfortable. There’s plenty of little things you can do to make your space fit your needs!
Revelation Chiropractic Fort Collins
If you’re suffering from lower back pain, spinal pain, or other central nervous pain, our chiropractors can help. Schedule a consultation today.
