Get Rid Of Body Aches During Work From Home With These Tips, According To Expert
Image via Shutterstock
US companies follow the mandatory ANSI-HFS standard, which requires office workstations and furniture to be comfortable to ease people’s strain during work. However, now that many are working remotely because of the coronavirus pandemic, they might not notice that they have been adopting unhealthy postures.
As the weeks go by, you might notice physical strains and back pains developing after spending hours at a makeshift home office. This can lead to debilitating musculoskeletal injury, which could result in sore backs, necks and shoulders, as well as carpal tunnel syndrome and even a deep vein thrombosis, a condition where blood clots build up in the veins in your body.
Therefore, it’s crucial to monitor your posture as your work from home. In a TIME op-ed, ergonomics expert Alan Hedge, professor emeritus at Cornell University and president of leading ergonomics company Humanuse; has shared some tips on literally taking the weight from your shoulders as you work at home. Check out some of them.
Look at your screens with a straight neck
Hedge cautions not to strain yourself by bending your neck to look downwards, or lifting it to look upwards, at your screen. You should keep your neck straight when you face the display at a comfortable viewing height. If you’re using a laptop or a separate screen, you can stack up a bunch of books to attain the desired height.
Place your screen sideways to the window
Don’t work with your back facing the window as the light can cause a glare on the screen, which can affect your eyes. You also shouldn’t face the window as you might end up staring into the light. You can put down your shades or drapes to cover the sunlight, or simply tilt your screen sideways to the window, Hedge suggests.
Sit back on your chair
According to Hedge, you might want to avoid sitting upright, hunching forward, or maintaining a rigid position. The proper sitting position involves your lower back curving in towards your stomach, also known as lordosis. This position is relaxing for your lower back and puts minimum pressure on your intervertebral discs.
So, sit on your natural lordotic curve where your lumbar spine is supported. Be sure to sit back in your chair so some of your body weight can be supported by the chair.
Also try to place your keyboard and mouse within reach so you don’t have to lean forward. If your chair does not have good lower-back support, you can insert a cushion behind your lower back to give it some ease while you work.
Keep your feet rested on the floor or with a support
Refrain from dangling your feet or placing them below your chair. This can increase the risk of deep vein thrombosis, as the pressures under your thighs will limit blood flow to your lower legs and feet. Instead, rest your feet on the floor. You can use a pillow, a box, or a footrest to keep your feet supported.
Don’t spend too much time on bed
When you lay or sit in bed, you might tend to rest your laptop on your thighs or on crossed legs, which is likely not a healthy screen-viewing position.
If you have no choice but to work on your bed, try to put a pillow behind your back to rest against the headboard, and insert a cushion in between your laptop and your thighs to increase the height of your screen. You can also opt for a low table to go over your legs as your work from bed.
For more tips on working from home comfortably, head on over here to read Hedge’s full article.
[via TIME, cover image via Shutterstock]
Also check out these recent news
