With many people continuing to work from home for the foreseeable future, we wanted to share some tips for preventing and easing any aches or pains that can be caused as a result.
1. Choose your workspace wisely
Work set ups vary hugely when working from home. Some of us may have a home office, but many have had to improvise. If you’re currently making do with a temporary set up, now is a good time to ask if it’s really working for you. Try experimenting with working from other areas in your home if your current set up is causing discomfort. And where possible, try to avoid working from the sofa or bed, as anything soft won’t support your back properly. Plus keeping these spaces strictly for relaxation will also help create differentiation between work and leisure time. For information on different types of home desk set ups, see https://www.wired.co.uk/article/best-standing-desks
2. Use a chair which has good back support
If you don’t have a desk chair, try placing a cushion against the back of your chair and sit with your back fully against it. It’s also important not to slouch forward over your desk space, as this will put extra pressure on your upper back.
3. Vary your work position
It’s easy to stay in the same chair all day, but if you start experiencing back pain in any position, move to another. Our bodies need variation, so a good trick is to use your kitchen surfaces or an ironing board, so you can work standing up for a while. If aches are ignored when concentrating on work they can develop into more serious pain, so try and nip any aches or tension in the bud by varying your work position throughout the day.
4. Move every hour and stretch
With many of us no longer having a commute each day, we may be moving less Monday to Friday. If you’re working from home, get up from your workspace for at least five minutes every hour. You could also to do some simple stretches each day to keep your back feeling mobile, such as these from the British Chiropractic Association – https://chiropractic-uk.co.uk/straighten-up-uk/ – or the specific stretches recommended by your practitioner.
5. Set a routine
Working from home can make it harder to keep motivated and set routines, so try to build in regular breaks and a lunch hour as much as possible in your week. Taking this time in the day for yourself will allow you to check in with your body and see where you may be feeling any tension. You can then take steps to look after your back health, whether that’s stretching daily or changing up your work position.
We hope these tips help but if you find you are still experiencing aches and pains, please just give us a call on 0117 972 3518 to find out how we can help.