Although most offices have reopened, many of us are still working from home some days of the week to maintain safe social distancing. While the elimination of a daily commute may be positive, if you do not have the right setup, working from home will cause more harm than good. Fortunately, our team at Island Sports Physical Therapy can help with this. We’d like to share some tips on how to make your work from home setup more ergonomic, so you can avoid injury.

The Importance Of Posture

It’s easy to overlook how important posture is when it comes to the workplace. Whether it be at your office, or from your own home, when your setup is not ergonomically sound, issues are not far behind. Having poor posture while you’re working can lead to a wide array of issues, which include:

• Neck pain
• Back pain
• Spinal misalignments
• Weakness
• Limited range of motion

Focus On Eye Level

The first step in improving your work from home setup is to focus on having your computer screen at eye level. Many have traded desks for living room tables as a sudden shift in the workplace was not expected. While this may seem like no issue, your tables at home were likely not designed for work. To make up for this, our team recommends stacking books under your laptop to raise it to eye level or purchasing a laptop stand.

Avoid The Bed

The urge to spend your workday in bed or lying on the couch can be great, but you must do your best to avoid this. Working while lying down offers little to no support for your body. It also puts your body in awkward positions when trying to look at and type on your laptop. Doing this will be detrimental to your posture potentially leading to pain or discomfort.

Pillows And Rolled Up Towels

Just like the tables at your home were not designed with work in mind, your seats more than likely were not designed to be sat in for an entire workday. Trying to do so will lead to many bouts of pain. If you’re not willing to purchase an office chair for your home, there are ways to make your current chair more suitable. Below are two examples of how to do so:

• Place a thin pillow underneath you to make the chair more comfortable.
• Place a rolled-up towel behind your lower back to help keep your spine straight.

Make Sure To Take Breaks

Even when you’re working from home, it’s important to remember that you’re entitled to breaks. These breaks should become a part of your workday routine to help prevent pain. Taking a three to five-minute break every 30 minutes to move around will allow you to remain healthy and avoid complications.

Schedule An Appointment

Unfortunately, even if you take all the steps to make your work from home setup ergonomically friendly, issues can still arise. If this happens to you, do not hesitate to schedule an appointment for physical therapy with our team. By allowing us to evaluate and treat your bodily discomfort, you’ll find the relief you desperately need. Some of the benefits you’ll receive from working with us include:

• Regained strength
• Improved flexibility
• Increased range of motion
• Elimination of pain

Contact Us

If you’re unsure how to make the most out of working from home, our team at Island Sports Physical Therapy is here to help. We’ll provide you with advice on making your home more ergonomic, and can offer treatment should pain ever arise. For more information or to schedule an appointment for treatment, contact us today.