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It’s awkward to work full time from home.
I know better than to sit cross-legged on the couch, crouched over the laptop.
Instead, I have a home office that is fine for a few hours of PC time evenings and weekends, but not so much for a regular work week.
The first problem is the desk. It’s antique, and it looks great, but it’s too tall. That leads to the second problem, the chair. It’s a modern office chair, and I can adjust its height, but my feet are off the floor when I raise it high enough to work the laptop keyboard. The back tilts too much, and plays “gotcha,” giving way and providing an unexpected jolt when I lean back too hard.
Muscles ache, and my neck is stiff by the end of the day.
In short, I’m an ergonomic disaster, but in this work-at-home era, I’m not alone.
Here are some tips from two Richmond-area chiropractors on how to make the most of your home work environment, along with some exercises that will help you alleviate aches and strains.
Have a Seat
Don’t work on the couch or sofa. Richmond chiropractor Milan Lassiter of Laser Sport and Spine Rehab says you need to invest in a proper office chair. Even then, you need to watch your posture. Start by making sure to “scoot your pelvis all the way back so that your pelvis is touching the back of the chair.”
The greater the distance between pelvis and the back of the seat, the greater the muscle tension and stress on your spine, and the greater the chance of back pain. “If you can get the lumbar spine and pelvic forward tilt correct, it will put the entire spine in the correct anatomical position (including the neck). This a concern for people working on computers because they tend to crane their neck forward,” he says in an email.
Lassiter says he uses a lumbar support cushion while driving, and he also takes it with him for flights. The cushion helps to keep the lower back in the proper position.
Set the height of your chair so your knees and elbows are at 90-degree angles. You should be sitting where you are looking straight at the monitor or laptop screen, not above or below it. Keep your wrists straight; don’t sit so your hands are angled upward. Lassiter uses a mouse pad with wrist support to elevate the wrist a bit when using the keyboard and mouse. It’s simple and effective, he says.
Stand Up
Joshua McCreadie of Airrosti Rehab Centers recommends a standing desk, but you need to adjust it to a height that's right for you. The keyboard should be placed where elbows are at a 90-degree angle when you're typing away, and the monitor should be at eye level, slightly tilted upward. Use a soft floor mat to cushion your feet and knees if you're going to be standing for prolonged periods.You also need to move around more. "While there is no 'perfect' desk setup, if you have the ability to vary your positions throughout the day while being able to stay efficient with your work, this will help your overall health," he says.
Work It Out
The best way to work out a tight neck after staring down at a laptop all day is to prevent it from happening in the first place. But if it develops, McCreadie recommends these exercises.
Wherever you work, get up and move around. Lassiter recommends short bursts of exercise throughout the day. “Rather than thinking of exercise as this thing that you carve out a half hour [to do] each day, you [should] disseminate your exercise throughout your day into smaller snippets of time,” he says. One recommendation: Set your smart phone clock timer to 20 or 30 minutes, and each time it sounds, do an exercise for a minute. It could be anything, from jumping jacks to using bands to do rows. You can see more of his tips here.You can also get yourself in motion through Sports Backers. The Richmond health and fitness advocacy nonprofit has a wealth of online resources to help you stay active while you shelter in place. See Facebook to participate in its Sports Backers Spring Challenge, a group for all ages and all abilities to share exercise and training suggestions, to stay active each day in April, and to “support and encourage one another.”
