By Sarah Sewell
What’s changed?
With the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic, an unprecedented number of are now finding ourselves working from home overnight, meaning new home offices set up at kitchen and dining tables, beds and sofas! Not all of us had a home office set up ready or had much experience as to how to make our workstation area a healthy and productive space.
Now we are settling into this new way of working, which could continue for several weeks, we are all starting to feel those muscular aches and pains resulting from poor posture and infrequent breaks from laptops and other mobile devices – I know I am!
Read on for some top seated posture tips – get creative!
- Always sit at a table when you are working, ideally on a chair that provides good lumbar back support. Dining chairs are not ideal, but if it is the only option add cushions to get as much support as possible.
- Make sure that your forearms are horizontal when typing and you have space to support the arms/hands on the desk/table surface, you might need to use a cushion to increase seat height if necessary.
- Make sure your feet are supported, either by the floor or get creative and use a box/cushion/footrest if necessary.
- Ideally you need your laptop/monitor at eye height because this avoids you tilting your head down and forward thus putting stress on upper back and neck. Place laptop on a stack of books or magazines to find the right height.
- If using a laptop, and it is now raised, you will need a separate keyboard. Your employer may provide this for you but if not then there are budget versions available online. It’s a very wise investment for long term neck health.
- Because laptop screens are generally smaller than monitors you need to be mindful of not leaning forward as this will add unnecessary stress on lower back, upper back and neck. You may also need to adjust screen distance during the day eyes become tired with a smaller screen to focus on.
- If you are fortunate enough to have a dedicated desk space you may wish to consider a desk top sit/stand unit or adding a height adjustable frame, either option will allow you to change posture as and when you need to, changing from sitting to standing may assist in reducing stress and strain on your back/neck.
- Your employer may offer a home office assessment but there are also a number of independent companies who offer workplace assessments to help you get the most from your existing set up. They will ask you to send photos or your set up then spend time going through possible adjustments.
- One of our osteopaths will also be able to advise on your specific desk set up and exercises to support home working. A video consultation allows them to see your current set up and adjust to suit you.
And finally…
Some commonly neglected things to remember. They will make a significant difference!
- Remember to move! Walk around if you are on the phone, no one can see you and it’s a good opportunity to take a short break from your chair which may not be as supportive as a good office chair.
- Try standing for short periods at your kitchen worktop with your laptop raised on a box or stack of books, making sure that your forearms are horizontal when you type. This can be useful to ease lower back strain but limit to 5-10 minutes as neck position isn’t ideal.
- Remember to take frequent rest breaks where you stand, move about and have a good stretch! – ideally you should do this every 30-45 minutes. Because we have less distractions at home we often sit in a static position for longer.
