Ever since Covid-19 started, working from home has become the new normal. Many businesses have asked their employees to stay home and work from there, in order to stop the spread of the virus. The reality is that not everyone has a designated work place with a desk or home office; there are some individuals working in bed, on a sofa, or kitchen counter. Though some of these areas tend to be comfortable, in the long run they hurt our posture. We have to make necessary adjustments to our workspaces and make them “body friendly”.
Below are some tips that will benefit in enhancing our posture to avoid or reduce any back pain:
- Regardless of where we are working (bed, couch, floor, desk or table), we should NEVER feel any discomfort on our body. If our body is hurting, we need to “listen” and make adjustments.
- If working with a laptop or computer, we should position the screen at eye-level, avoiding any neck strain from looking up or down.
- Take breaks every 30-45 minutes to stretch our bodies, loosen up any tense muscles, improve circulation, reset our postures and refocus.
- Maintain a good posture, making sure that our back is supported while sitting. We should not slouch forward or lean to the sides. If we are working standing, we should line up our head, neck, torso and legs in a straight line (keeping our spine aligned correctly). According to Danielle Clare, PT, DPT, CMTPT (2021), “Making sure your spine is aligned and your body is in the proper position throughout your work day is so important to reduce increased stress on your body and help keep you pain free.”
There are many little things that we can do to reduce any back pain; the most important thing is to listen to our bodies.