With more and more of us spending time working from home, it’s important that you’re taking care of yourself while you do so. In addition to being sat at a desk perhaps for a longer than usual period, you may well find yourself not moving around as much. Back pain is something that many of us will suffer from at some point in our lives, but it can be caused or exacerbated by sitting in poor positions for long periods of the day. If you’re new to working from home, it’s important to take a few simple steps to look after your back.
Practical Tips
- An article for People Management offered some advice, including making sure that you set up your computer with the screen at eye height, and that you have a mouse, particularly if you’ll be using a laptop that’s raised off the desk or table to make the screen higher.
- A separate keyboard is also useful in this instance as it prevents tension developing in your shoulders, wrists and upper back.
- Setting up a chair with lumbar support is also a top tip, as is making sure you avoid the temptation to slouch on the sofa all day.
- You should also take regular breaks from your desk throughout the day and do regular exercise.
What else can help?
If you find that you’re still struggling with back pain, you may need help to correct your posture or spinal alignment. In this instance, a Tui Na massage could help to get you back on track.
An article for Shape recently pointed out that working in front of a computer all day can be really bad for your posture. But, it added that there are things to do that can prevent your posture from worsening as a result.
These include regularly moving around and getting up from your desk throughout the day and using ergonomically designed desk chairs at work.
